Not Again
by HollyPup
Summary: What would happen if the machines decided to try moving around the peace treaty now eight years into use? How do the people of Zion survive when The One is no longer around? Please R&R! Completely finished!
1. How?

Coffee bubbled merrily in its pot, and the tail-wagging cat hung on the wall, informing people of the time, with its eyes drifting side-to-side in time with the ticking of its clock abdomen. The frying eggs, simmering bacon and even the rustle and cough of a man holding a newspaper at the kitchen table added their own unique sounds to the kitchens symphony. In the middle of it all, sat a girl dressed in jet black, quite out of place in the bright, cheery kitchen. Her espresso hair fell sleek and straight about her face in a glistening frame, stopping its cascade just below her shoulders. A pale, slender hand, protruding from one of the shadowed sleeves, was incessantly tapping a silver lighter upon the surface of the table.

"Did you want anything to eat...What did you say your name was again, dear?" came the kind voice of the woman tending to the food sizzling on the oven range. The hand froze and the tapping stopped.

"Bree, and no thank you," said the girl. The two exchanged sweet smiled before turning away from each other once more, Bree rolling her eyes heavily. Just as she slid on a pair of dark sunglasses the phone at her hip rang. She reached down, listening to the woman hum softly behind her, flipped it open and held it to her ear.

"Get me the _hell_ out of here Link," she said, getting up quickly from her seat and heading for the front door of the homey house.

"Oh come on Bree," came Link's voice from the other end, "It can be _that_ bad."

"It was a pleasure to meet you dear," the woman called after Bree in her sugary voice. Bree had held the phone up so Link could hear her as well.

"Dear, eh?" he said as she put the phone back up to her ear, "I thought you throttled anyone who called you that?" Bree could hear him snicker, though she was sure he didn't want her to hear it. She rolled her eyes again and opened the door that led out onto the street.

"She's a program," she said wearily, stepping out onto the welcome mat, "She doesn't know any better." Bree shut the door behind her just as Link spoke again.

"Bree?"

"Yeah?"

"She wasn't a program." Bree froze outside the door, her eyebrows raised. As she stepped off the porch she caught a glimpse of the woman serving the man with the newspaper. She stopped to watch them a moment.

"I suddenly feel a lot of sympathy for that man...wait." She narrowed her eyes, trying to see the man more clearly through the lacy curtains. He had been reading that newspaper, not saying anything, the entire time Bree had been waiting, so Bree had not bothered to take a look at his face. Now however, something she noticed on her side of the window made her uneasy.

"Link," she whispered into the phone, her eyes never leaving what image of the man she could see, "You got an exit for me?"

"Yeah, why?" he asked, his voice picking up on her worry, "I can't see any agents around you." Bree listened, and almost relaxed, but time and experience had taught her to be ever vigilant.

"Just tell me where."

"J street, there's a payphone on the corner near a...pizza place." Bree nodded and was about to hang up the phone when she heard Link shriek.

"Bree! Get your ass out of there!" Bree was already running. The window she had been looking through into the kitchen had blown into pieces, the crack of a gunshot telling of its cause. Leaping through the open passage was the man who had been reading the paper. His clothing was a crisp suit, traditional black and white coloration, his sunglasses hiding any sign of his eyes. Clipped to his ear was an earpiece that even more marked him as the archenemy of someone like Bree. He took off after her, his speed amazing.

Bree was running for her life now, her arms pumping wildly, her legs carrying her forward. She was ignoring all commands from her body and her mind to stop, knowing that to do so would result in her death. She just had to get to "J" street. It wasn't that far, as she had just passed "D" street. Just a few more blocks. But the agent was quickly catching up to her and she knew that he would catch her long before she reached her destination. It was time for a detour. She veered left, just as another gunshot was fire, barely missed her and grazing her shoulder. The pain was intense.

Her breaths were becoming ragged as she sprinted through the dark alley, her boots splashing into mud puddles. She looked side-to-side as she ran, her eyes searching behind the glasses for any means of escaping. There, a door. She flung her body at it and luckily it was open. She shut it just as another bullet came whizzing at her, cracking the wood of the entrance. She bolted down the hall, passing the occupants of the house enjoying a nice dinner. They all stared as she passed, and she heard a few of them shriek with horror as the unmistakable sound of a door being rammed down split the eerie silence that came when one was running away from something else.

Bree knew she was running out of time, and energy. All ready her limbs were tiring greatly and her momentum had decreased. She reached the stairs and sprinted her way up them, turning right on the landing and slipping on a rug. Cursing loudly to herself she scrambled up and flew down the hallway, throwing herself into a bedroom and locking the door behind her. She plastered herself on the wall and began to fumble with the objects at her belt. She picked out a gun, ensured herself that it was loaded, and then gazed around her momentary sanctuary. She could already hear footsteps on the stairs. Breathing heavily her eyes caught sight of a window, and she grimaced as she realized it was her only option.

Taking a deep breath she ran at the window, just as the agent forced open the door. There were many gunshots, and she felt some of them graze her skin through her clothes, but her focus was on the window. She hurled her body through the air and crashed through the window, twirling in the air. The agent chasing her continued to fire bullet after bullet, as Bree flailed in the atmosphere and landed, a little more roughly then she would have like, on a display of fruit outside a supermarket. Slipping and sliding she rose to her feet, covered in fruit pulp, and dashed off down the street, the familiar scent of pizza reaching her nostrils.

The payphone was in sight, she could see it. She could hear the phone ringing as she neared, and feel the sense of home resonating off of it. She could also feel more agents behind her. She dared not look back to see how many. She was so close. So very close. She just yards away and she took a giant leap forward and landed hard against the pane glass door. She grabbled with the handle and threw the door open, reaching inside and grabbing the phone. She jammed it up to her ear and immediately felt her coded self dissolve and the needle slide out of the back of her head.

Bree lay there, gasping for a long time, her blurred vision becoming clearer every second until she saw many faces surrounding her. Link was there, his dark face gazing down at her with worry, Bolt, his prominent green eyes distinct and warmly familiar, Magnet, his brother though the there was a significant difference between them marking them un-blood related, and Stella, the only other girl on board besides Bree herself. And then face she enjoyed seeing the most, the face of their captain, the face of her beloved Ace. Sitting up from her chair she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. She knew they had all been thinking the same thing: she wasn't going to make it. She had been thinking it herself.

"That...was...invigorating," she chuckled, her laughter wheezing. They all laughed a little nervously, but they all had enormous looks of relief on their faces. Bree released Ace and then hopped from her chair, clutching her abdomen and wincing. The worst of the gunshots she had suffered was there, bloody and ragged.

"Let's get those checked out," Ace said, smiling softly. He nodded to Bolt, and Stella who walked forward and helped Bree out of the "jack room" and through a steel door. Still inside the room, Ace and Link exchanged a look. They were both having the same thought, but it was Ace who voiced it.

"How did we not see the agent?"


	2. Dreams Best Forgotten

It was always dark nowadays, always night time. This was just as well because most of the time everyone needed some sleep, though they rarely got it. The war had taken a lot out of everyone, captains, crew, civilians; but the rebuilding of the grand city of Zion, was if possible even more taxing on its people. The prospect of peace used to be considered a dream unreachable by all. Since they now had it, they almost didn't know what to _do_ with it. The peace was a good thing, there was doubt about that in anyone's mind, but it was just hard to deal with the loss of so many people, and rebuild an entire city at the same time.

Eight years had passed since the truce between the machines and Zion. Things had been going as smoothly as things ever went around the big city. Slowly the repairs were done, and the living quarters were reconstructed. The people that had been evacuated returned periodically over the months, at least those whose ships had not been destroyed for one reason or another. The population stabilized, and then revamping of the many ships, and the replacement of others began. Morpheus and what members of his crew remained built a new ship, properly named: The Neo. Naturally Niobe joined the crew, much to Morpheus distraction.

Bree had been on the crew for a year when Neo came, she was just around sixteen. But she was one of the best mechanics around and Morpheus had needed her. He had thought she was something she wasn't when he first had her unplugged, but it became clear that it was not true. However, he kept her on board to take care of some tough repairs that had grounded them for a long time. With her help, they were able to continue their search for the One. She was happy and healthy for the most part, living her life on board the ship. It didn't take her longer then most to recover from the shock of realizing her life had just been a dream world, a program. Her life before had been nothing. It was something while she served on the Nebachudnezzer.

Now she staggered into her living quarters, moaning slightly and clutching her side. Her appearance was quite different then what it was in the Matrix. Her dark chocolate hair hung tangled about her face, and her eyes that had been hidden behind sunglasses, were grey and bloodshot. Dark bags clinged to the area under her eyes, giving her a gaunt, defunct look. Sighing heavily, she dragged herself to the bed and flopped down in it, immediately wishing she hadn't. The agent had gotten some pretty good shots on her. Letting the intense stinging pain slowly ebb away into the comfortable ache, she lay there, staring at the ceiling. She could hear the sound of the crew bustling above her, and felt disgusted with herself that she wasn't doing her part. She turned to her side angrily and fell to sleep.

_She was in the Matrix again. The Bree that had grown up in the city, looking like such, staring back at her when she passed by a shop window. Not the ragged creature of the real world. This was her first time in the Matrix since learning everything. Morpheus and Trinity were taking her to see someone they called...the Oracle. She had no idea what to expect, but she trusted the two walking beside her like she had never trusted anyone in her life. She remembered thinking as she walked, how much both already meant to her in the short time she had served with them. She also thought about perhaps telling them so, a flaw of being emotional, but they reached the home of the Oracle before they could do that. The visit went by quickly, the Oracle telling her that she was not who Morpheus thought, but that she had some connection with whoever that might be. That was all, nothing more was said, and Bree, Morpheus, and Trinity went back to the ship._

_Now she was back on the ship, a normal day, with everyone doing their assigned job to keep the ship running. Bree and Mouse were down below fixing a few wires. They had wanted to be up on the deck, but Morpheus told them that they needed to keep the ship running. Grudgingly the two began their work. But they didn't get much work done, mostly because the two had grown rather close being the youngest on board. However, just a half hour or so after they began working, there was a commotion above, and they scrambled out to see what was up. That was when Bree saw him; the person Morpheus assured all of them was who they had been searching for all this time. She quickly climbed out of the hull and followed after him, her eyes never leaving the back of his head, which was all she could see. Then he finally turned around, as Morpheus said her name, and she remembered him, from her life in the Matrix. He didn't seem to notice anything, and just waved, granting her the same nervous smile she remembered wearing just a year ago. _

_There was a sudden rush of time in her dreamland, as it sped up to the day that Neo had proven he was the One. He was fast, he stopped bullets, defeated the agents, saved Morpheus, and Trinity loved him. But that wasn't all, because Bree had known long before all of them that Neo was what the Oracle had told him untrue. Before she had been unplugged she had lived a life of leisure in the Matrix, but she had not been alone the entire time. She remembered the death of her "parents" when she was little, and therefore had to be placed with a family member or foster home. Neo had been that family member, her half-brother. He took care of her for a long time, but she became restless, rebellious, and ran. She always remembered feeling bad about it when she looked back on that day, but she had been an angry teenager. Her parents had died and Neo appeared to be too wrapped up in his computer to have time for his new charge. That wasn't the case, but after she left he began even more wrapped up in his computer. The Oracle had told Bree when she came to see her that the One would be someone from her past, before being unplugged. Some one Bree regretted hurting. Neo was the One in Brees mind long before everyone else realized it._

_The scene switched, the conscious part of her mind hoping for the last time, and she was in Zion, standing with Ace. They were playfully chasing each other around the debris, though they should have been working. Both were laughing and just happy they were together and the war was over. About six months had paced since the peace had began. While the two joyously darted about the bits and pieces that had been chipped off the city, Bree heard the radio at her hip hiss and she halted reluctantly. She held it up to her ear._

_"Bree," she said._

_"You two need to get to work, this isn't time for games," came the voice of the infamous Capt. Lock. He was probably more irritated then normal because there was a possibility of him being booted out of his position._

_"Yeah, yeah," she said, rolling her eyes so Ace could see, "Look Capt., you told us to keep a look out for anything 'unusual' and that's exactly what we're...doing." She dropped the radio and stared straight ahead of her. Ace had already turned around and was standing with his mouth open. _

_"Bree, Bree!" came Locks voice from the abandoned communicator. _

_Brees attention was focused on the ship in front her, landing at the dock. Lock hadn't mentioned any incoming. Perhaps he didn't know the peculiarity about this ship being here. The _Logos_ harbored itself at Gate 3 and, simultaneously, both Bree and Ace rushed to meet it. They got there just before Morpheus, Link, and Niobe. The five of them all exchanged glances, before the door to the ship creaked up. A machine slithered out and was gone. Now they were _really_ puzzled. At once the rushed onto the ship, Niobe first since the _Logos_ was hers. What they found brought a sad face to them all._

"Bree," came a gentle voice, and Bree suddenly awoke. She sat up straight and closed her eyes, trying to force the tears that wanted out back in. She leaned against the back wall of the bed and took several deep, shuddering breaths. She felt a comforting hand on her shoulder and opened her eyes to see Ace sitting there, worry etched into every corner of his boyish face. He had a tray of food in his other hand.

"You all right?" he asked soothingly. Bree swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded slowly.

"Just a dream," she whispered. He offered her the tray but she shook her head. She was hungry, but did not trust herself to keep anything down.

"About what?" he asked after a few minutes. Bree almost didn't want to say, but she shared everything with him, and was not about to stop that system now.

"Everything," she said, knowing this was a vague beginning, "My first visit to the Oracle, the day Neo arrived, the day Neo became the One in everyone's eyes, and...and the day the _Logos_ returned." The tears fought there way out this time, and streamed down her pale cheeks, leaving a moist, stinging trail behind them. Ace gave her shoulder a squeeze and before she knew it she threw her arms around him in another hug, her face face buried into his shoulder. He patted her back comfortingly and just sat there with her for a long time. Finally she retracted and wiped her eyes. She sniffed once and lay back down upon the bed. Her eyes drooped and she fell back into a deep sleep, no dreams troubling her this time, but they would again.

"Coming up on Gate 2 in about five minutes," Niobe said as she fingered the controls, coasting _The_ _Neo_ further forward towards Zion. Bree, who had been standing behind her watching through the front window, nodded, patted the other woman's shoulder and left. She wandered through the ship, checking up on everyone. All of whom gave her an odd expression which she ignored. Magnet was working on the ammunition feeder; Stella was busy in the infirmary, tending to a wound Bolt had suffered the other day. The bandages needed to be changed. Finally, Bree reached the "jack room" to find Link and Ace in whispered conversation, both staring at the matrix feed.

"What's going on in this room?" Bree said, trying to muster up a smile, "Well be landing shortly." The smiled failed, and she just drifted over to where the two were standing. The two men glanced at each other and then at Bree, who was occupying herself with the screen in front of her, trying to pretend she didn't notice. She sighed when Link coughed.

"All right all ready," she said exasperated, "You all have been staring at me funny all day. I know what you guys are thinking; I know what you guys want to know. But I'm not sure I can tell you until I come to terms with the information myself..." Well that let the cat out of the bag. Like moths to the moon, the rest of the crew just seemed to appear there in the room with Bree, Link, and Ace, all with eagerly hopeful looks on their faces. Bree stared around at them all painfully, knowing that she now had to speak.

"It was Smith," she muttered, and immediately there was a murmur of disbelief around the group, "His face, the way he smiled...It was him." A silence fell upon them all, only broken when the ship jolted, announcing its docking in Gate 2. They left the room one-by-one, two in Magnet and Bolts case, until only Ace and Bree were left. They looked at each other, both wearing similar looks of fear. Bree held out her left hand, twitching a half-smile at Ace. He smiled back in the same manner and grasped her hand. Together, as with almost everything they did, the two walked off the ship and into the city. Bree tried not to think about what would happen as the day wore on.

Top of Form

Bottom of Form


	3. Answers

Bree stood in front of the council members, hands behind her back, and feet spread shoulder width apart in proper stance. Her hair was tied back, and her face wore a set look upon it. For once Ace was not beside her, nor even in the building with her. She was alone and standing there in front of the wise people, as she waited for one of the council to ask the question she knew was on all of their minds, and the question she dreaded to answer. She still did not want to accept the truth, though it was plain as day in front of her face.

"So he's back?" asked one of them. There was the question.

"Yes, councilor," Bree said plainly, though it was obvious how much she was troubled by her words, "I am sure that the agent that pursued me and inflicted these wounds you see was Smith, but what his plans are, I cannot yet say."

"Yet?" said another of the council. Bree drew herself up a little prouder.

"I plan on finding out _exactly_ what Smith is doing back, and what his plans are. However, whether I will be able to do that will be up to Ace, for Morpheus passed on the captainship of _The Neo_ to him and not me." Bree could hear the bitter tone in her own voice, but she neither showed her acknowledgement of it nor did she really care. Though she and Ace considered each other equals in any situation, she still thought that she should be captain and not him.

"Very well Lieutenant, you may go." Bree nodded respectfully and turned to leave.

"Oh, Lieutenant?" called one of them, and Bree turned back around, "You should talk to him. And then ask him where she is, because I think you need to have a little talk with her as well."

Bree stood there rigidly for some time, staring at the old woman in the middle of the table. Finally she swallowed another lump that had formed in her throat, nodded to the council once more and walked out of the building. Once out of room she picked up her pace, boots clunking on the metal floors as she maneuvered through the labyrinth of halls. She passed many people who tried to stop her, even Ace who looked quite relieved to find her, but she flew by him and continued on her way. She had a destination in mind, and nothing was going to stop her. She had to do this before she chickened out…again.

The door was large, and rusty in color. Bree stood in front of it, her arms folded and her foot tapping. She was afraid to go in, just like she had been for the past four years. She began pacing frantically back and forth in front of the door, trying to tell herself to go in, but it wasn't working. Suddenly she stopped pacing, turned back around to face the door and took a deep breath. It was time to do this. She reached a shaking hand out to the handle of the door, her fingers just an inch away from the scratchy surface, when the door opened. Standing in the doorway, was a tall, bulky person, wearing a bemused expression.

"I don't think I've ever met a person that could take so long to open a door," said Morpheus, as he stepped aside to let Bree in. She didn't move at first, but finally took a reluctant step inside the captain's quarters. She looked around the room, eyes lingering on the various maps and books littering the area.

"I like what you've done with the place," she said casually, taking a seat in a tattered chair in front of a large, metal desk, "A lot better then Locks interpretation of a mercenary headquarters." She heard Morpheus chuckle behind her before he walked around to take a seat behind the desk.

"Yes, I rather like it, though I do not take credit for this," he said gazing around the room himself, a serene smile on his face, "I was not given the position of Head Decorator." Bree rolled her eyes, as she realized she was being patronized, and by someone she had thought of as a father for as long as she could remember no less.

"I'm here to talk to you," she said, "About the captainship of _The Neo_, sir."

"Yes, I figured you would come to me about that before long," he said, leaning back in his chair and placing his fingertips together, "You are curious as to why I gave the position to Ace instead of yourself." It was a statement not a question.

"Yes," she replied, happy she hadn't had to bring up the topic herself, "Sir, I love Ace, but you know that I deserved that position. I've deserved it for a long time however I had to wait till I was older. Now that time has been and gone, yet I still remain merely second-in-command." For a long time there was silence, until finally, Morpheus heaved a great sigh.

"When I was told I was being given Locks position," he began, in the voice of one worn down by many years, "I knew that I would have to give the captainship to someone I knew could handle it -"

"I could have handled it!" Bree blurted out. Morpheus held up a hand, and Bree silenced herself quickly. He still had an odd power over people.

"I know that Bree. I know you could have handled it. But if you remember what was going on when I handed over the captainship, then perhaps you will understand my decision." Bree took on a puzzled look for a few minutes, before sighing and rolling her eyes again.

"Ok mixing up non-flammable and highly-flammable labels could happen to anybody," she said.

"No, not that Bree," he said wearily, "Though I think we'd all like you to pay more attention in that field. No, I am talking about your emotional state-of-mind." Again Bree looked confused, and then she sighed again, and propped her elbow up on the arm of her chair so she could massage her temple.

"Morpheus, I lost two people that I cared about. One being like a sister and confidante ever since I joined the crew, and the other being someone that understood me, and who I had a past with. I was distraught, and unsure of myself, especially...especially after the _Logos_ came back to us. I'm sorry that I chose a bad time to be emotionally unstable, but you should have known that I would not always be that way!"

"But Bree, you are being that way now," Morpheus said calmly.

Bree fell silent once more and slumped back in her chair. Her dark hair fell in her face, though she was too lost in thought to brush it away. She just sat there, staring at nothing in particular, mulling Morpheus words over in her head. Was she really being as emotionally unstable? She shook her head, more to clear her head then to disagree with the notion. Then she stood up and headed for the door, mentally kicking herself for ever coming here. She should have just left it as it was. But, then she would have never gotten over her fear of talking with Morpheus face-to-face. As she left, he spoke once more.

"Bree," he called, "She's in Section 344. Row 5." Without looking, back, or even giving any acknowledgement that she had heard him, Bree inwardly thanked him and left, leaving Morpheus in his office, smiling sadly but proud.

Now she was really on a mission, but this time she was not rushing herself. She was going slowly, very slowly. She had to constantly take deeper and deeper breaths to ensure that she didn't keel over with anxiety. Finally she reached the Sections. This was where the ashes of the fallen were stored, the more decorated with their own plaque. There were many rows, spanning quite a distance. Bree went no further right then, merely stood and stared, her feet seemingly glued to the ground. After a few minutes she felt someone come up beside her, but did not turn to look at who it was.

"I thought you swore never to come here," said Ace, and Bree closed her eyes in relief. She thanked God it was him and not someone else.

"I lied," she said in a strained whisper. Ace nodded, and she felt his hand grasp hers.

"Ready?" he said, as though he had planned on coming with her all along. She opened her eyes, staring down the long corridor before them, and nodded. Trembling slightly, she took a step forward, Ace following suit. Then another step, and another, until she was walking down along the rows, reading the numbers as she passed. It took a long time to come to the section they wanted, but that being so the arrival still came sooner then Bree wanted. She stared at Section 344, trying to read the row numbers but not being able to focus. Thankfully Ace had noticed this and was reading the row numbers himself.

"Row 5," he said softly. Bree slowly moved her head to stare at the row that he had read off of. Tentatively she reached a hand out and stroked the shining plaque that hung above the compartment where the ashes were held.

_Trinity_

_Crew member of the _Nebuchadnezzar_ 10 years_

_Outstanding pilot, mechanic, and unforgettable friend_

_You will be sorely missed._

_   
_Bree retracted her hand and wiped her eyes, which had begun to well up with tears. 'Sorely missed' was right. Trinity hadn't just been a friend; she had been like a sister to Bree since the moment she had stepped onto the _Nebuchadnezzar_ at the tender age of fifteen. Cold, scared, and in shock of what she had just learned, Trinity had cared for Bree and taught her the ways of the ship, and the real world. When the _Logos_ pulled into Gate 2 nearly eight years prior, and they had found Trinity's body aboard, it had been the worst day of Brees life. At least with Neo they didn't know for sure whether he was gone forever, but she would never see Trinity again.

"Ace," she said, her voice cracking, "I'll meet you at home." Hesitating slightly, Ace slowly nodded and left, giving her hand a squeeze before he did so. She watched him go, her stormy eyes following him as he left. The corners of her mouth twitched upwards as she of how lucky she was to have him. Once he was out of sight, she looked back to the silver memorial before her. She placed her hand on its surface, her palm feeling the cold metal. Her reflection stared back at her as her eyes locked on the carved words.

"I don't know what to do, Trin," she said, her voice a choked squeak, "I'm lost without you or Neo. I need guidance...I need _you_." She stood with her hand on the wall for some time, before pulling herself away and very slowly leaving the Sections. She looked back many times, but kept moving forward, until she found herself in front of the living quarters she and Ace shared. In her daze she almost knocked on her own door, but stopped herself and oppressively opened the door. The clanging sound of silverware dropping reached her ears as Ace got up and rushed to meet her in the entrance way.

"Are you all right?" he asked. Bree almost snapped at him, but smiled shakily and nodded.

"I'm fine," she said unconvincingly. As such, Ace still looked worried.

"Maybe you should lie down," he suggested. She shook her head, suddenly taking on a dark, serious expression.

"No, I'm going in." She needed to go back into the Matrix, find out what Smith was doing. Aces eyes widened and he grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look at him.

"Bree," he said firmly, "I understand how you feel about this, but you can't go in now. You're tired, and you're still hurt. You won't survive another encounter. If you have to go wait until tomorrow; when the crew and I can join you. Please Bree. I couldn't stand to lose you too."

Staring deep into his eyes with her own, Bree almost protested; almost told him that she was going in now and since he was not the leader of Zion he couldn't do anything about it. But at the same moment the words formed in her throat, a voice sounded in her head, and it was not her own. Bree blinked her eyes a few times, trying to decide whether it had been nothing, when it came again. What disturbed her, besides the fact that she was hearing a voice in her head, was that she now recognized the voice. As though answering her plea for guidance, Trinity's voice was now telling her to listen to Ace, to wait till tomorrow to get her answers about Smith, if any were to be had.

"All right," Bree said suddenly, looking at Ace and smiling, "I'll wait. But tomorrow, you won't be able to stop me." It was meant to be a warning. She loved him, and did not want to die and leave him, but even that could not stop her from doing this.

"I would never dream of it," he said smiling, though it was clear he was being serious, "I want to know why he's back same as you do." Bree smiled, and then yawned. She finally realized how tired she was.

"I think I'm going to go to bed," she said, "I'll see you in the morning." The two kissed briefly.

"Bright and early," said Ace, smiling like that young boy he still resembled. For the first time that day, Bree smiled a full, happy smile, all gloomy thoughts leaving her head for the time being. There was no time for them in the day anymore. She walked into the bed chamber and climbed onto the soft mattress, falling instantly asleep. Tomorrow would hold many questions waiting to be given answers. Though even Trinity did not have to tell Bree that not all of them would receive them, and many more would possibly be added. 


	4. Why?

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes."

"Positive?"

"Yes!"

"Are you absolutely – "

"ACE!" cried Bree, sitting up from her lying position in the chair, "If you ask me whether I want to do this or not one more time, you're not going in with me." She stared at the man before her, eyebrows raised and arms crossed. Ace opened his mouth to respond, but in the end chose not to retaliate and took a seat in the chair next to her. Bree smirked satisfied and then looked to Link.

"All right Link," she said, settling her head back on the headrest of the chair. Bolt stood behind her, ready to slide the jacking needle into the back of her head, "You ready?" Link nodded. Bree closed her eyes, and felt herself be jacked into the programmed world of the Matrix.

Once again Bree stood on a sidewalk, sleek black clothing adorning her body. Through her dark sunglasses, that shielded her eyes through all her Matrix visitations, she surveyed the group of crew members that had chosen to join them. First, of course, she looked to her handsome Ace, standing tall and proud like the captain that he was, and then to Stella whose contrasting white clothing complimented her honey hair greatly as she gazed about dreamily. Last but not least her clouded optics drifted to the form of Circuit, who was busily smoothing his clothes in amazement, and running his hand through his short, dark hair.

"Enjoying your first time in the Matrix, kid?" she called to him, checking the various guns around her waist, and loading them. Ace looked up as the name "kid" was said, and smiled amused at Brees use of it. Circuit, however, tried scowling through his apparent glee. Failing, he nodded just as Bree looked up.

"Yeah I remember my first time in here after being unplugged," she said, reloading another gun, "Just remember, kid, were not here to preach." Replacing the last gun at her hip, she peered around at the many people bustling along the concrete pathways.

"All these people are to remain - Hi," she began, stopping to nod and greet a group of people passing buy and gawking at Bree and the crew, who probably looked quite odd indeed, "Remain oblivious as to the dream world they're leaving in. Understood?" She finished as they passed. The others nodded, and she smiled. She may not be captain, but it felt good to be in slight control when it came to being in the Matrix.

"All right now everyone," she said, becoming quite serious and solemn, "This will not be like the movies Im sure we all remember where the team splits up. This is not an ordinary agent were looking for, though I don't think even looking for an agent is ordinary. No, this is Smith, one of the worst of them all. We will stick together, and hope to find something out. I trust and care for you all, so all I have left to say is tread carefully, and give a shout out if you see even the slightest thing that seems...odd."

"You mean like that," Circuit said, pointing across the street. Bree looked, and had to raise a hand to her mouth to hide her laughter. A trio of scantily clad women were strutting down the sidewalk Men of all ages passing paused to goggle at the ladies. She glanced to Ace, and found him to be staring as well. She gazed blankly at him, before smacking him in the back of the head. Her jerked from the force and quickly stared at the ground. Shaking her head, Bree looked back to Circuit.

"Sadly that's not as uncommon as you think," she said. Tossing her head along down the sidewalk, she began walking along the stone avenue, the others following in her wake, Ace catching up to walk by her side. The two exchanged a glance and a smile, before continuing on.

"Morpheus told me you went to see him," Ace said after a while. He was trying to sound casual, but it wasn't working out that well.

"I would have told you, but I figured the word would have spread around by the time I got home," Bree replied. She knew where this conversation was going to go, but she didn't want to get to that destination, as inevitable as it was.

"Bree why didn't you tell me how much me being captain bothered you?" Ace asked. She sighed. He had never been a patient person.

"It doesn't bother me that you're captain, because you are a great captain," she said slowly, "What bothers me is that Morpheus gave the position to you over me." She sighed heavily and placed her hand on her forehead when she realized how horrible that sounded.

"Im sorry," she murmured, leaning her head on his shoulder as the walked. Bree felt his arm slide around her shoulders, and she sighed wearily, something she was very good at since she did it more times then she could count.

"It's just," she said, pausing as she strived to find the right words, "If Neo was alive and here, _he_ would have been made captain. Ever since he's been gone I felt like Im the one who has to follow in his footsteps, so now, I feel like I failed in that. I feel like I let him down." She heaved another sigh, this time one of relief. It felt good to get that out, to tell Ace, who was about to say something when a voice from behind them reached they're ears. Both spun around quickly, Bree reaching quickly for a gun.

"Circuit, get over here!" she cried. The computer programmer was across the street, staring into a shop window at a television blaring some obscene music. He was quite fascinated by the images on the screen and apparently either could not, or did not want to hear Bree call to him.

"I don't believe this," she said jadedly. Placing her head in her hand once more she closed her eyes for a moment. Opening them again she told Ace and Stella to stay put while she went to get Circuit. The gun was still grasped in her hand, the cold metal pressed against the flesh of her hand.

"Nobody listens anymore," she muttered under her breath in annoyance, "When I say 'stick together', what do they think that means?"

Bree was half-way across the wide lane when something caught her eyes just several stored to the right of where Circuit stood in awe. Her dreary grey eyes widened slightly as she found herself staring at the form of a cloaked man dressed in much the same sleek black fashion as herself and the others. As she peered at him he turned his head and looked her straight in the eyes through a pair of dark sunglasses that perfectly mirrored her own. While she stood staring, the man took off in the Circuits direction, and Bree immediately became horrified as she realized what was about to happen.

"Circuit!" she cried in vain as she began running the rest of the way across the street, all memory of the gun in her hand seemingly lost.

The young boy that had been staring with a distinct fascination in the window looked up just as the cloaked man reached him. He barely manage to utter a scream of surprise as her was overtaken by the mysterious person and swept away down the walk. Bree skidded to halt outside the window Circuit had been looking into and wasted no time in talking off in pursuit of the cloaked man and Circuit who was now practically being dragged down the stony path.

"Bree!" she heard Ace shout from behind her, "Bree, stop! It could be a trap!" That thought had crossed Brees mind the moment she had laid eyes on the cloaked man, but that was not enough to stop her. She was not going to lose a member of the crew because she wanted to go into the Matrix and get her answers, which seemed very stupid in her mind at the moment. She knew how much Circuit wanted to go in to the Matrix and had let him come.

As she ran along the rocky boulevard, Circuit and his abductor just in her range of sight, Bree was reminded of the day that he joined the family that was _The Neo_. He had been so nervous and jumpy that people began to seriously doubt his programming abilities. Bree, however, remembered how much everyone had been skeptical of her own talents as a mechanic and she encouraged Circuit to never give up and prove them all wrong. Now _The Neo_ harbored the best computer programmers in the entire fleet.

Pulled away from her reverie Bree now watched as her prey turned the next corner into a darkened alley. She didn't know how far Ace was behind her, or if he was even behind her at all anymore. The logical thing to do would be to wait for he and Stella to catch up, but Bree was not thinking clearly, if at all. That being so, she veered down the same alley and was thrown swiftly into an intense pitch-darkness. The path was lit up only a few feet, while everything else was completely un-seeable.

"Circuit?" she called desperately to the shadows, as she felt her way blindly down the passage. She heard the crash of a trash can on the other side of the ebony blanket. Hastily she held her gun up and fired several shots into the umbra. There was silence for a long time. Then the metallic clink of that Bree recognized as bullets dropping to the ground.

"That was brilliant Bree, real genius move there," came a voice from the gloom. The cloaked man stepped out of the shade into what little light came from the illuminated streetlet, casting an eerie glow over a frighteningly familiar face.

"No," Bree breathed in an awed whisper. Suddenly she felt Ace slide to a stop beside her, gasping for breath and bent nearly double clutching his knees. Bree barely noticed him appear though, as her entire focus was in front of her, fixated on the cloaked figure.

"Bree," Ace said, his voice wheezing, "Im glad you finally sto-" His voice trailed away, as his mouth remained hung open on the last syllable. The man in black seemed quite satisfied with this reaction, and to add to the orchestra of attention, Circuit emerged from the shadows just then and ran to Bree, jumping up and down like a little boy at Christmas.

"Bree, Bree!" he exclaimed excitedly, "Bree look, its him, its him!"

"Neo?" Bree finally choked out. The man smiled, and nodded, removing his sunglasses as he did so.

"It's good to see you again, Bree," Neo said, taking another step forward, "It's really been too long."

"Yeah," she gulped, "Way too long." She suddenly shook her head. This was insane.

"You're supposed to be -"

"Dead?" Neo suggested, interrupting her, "Yes...in a way. My body is gone, but my mind never left the Matrix. Im here to help you get your answers." Bree opened and closed her mouth several times before turning to her side and plopping down into a sitting position atop a wooden crate. This was way too much to process. Circuit was still bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet, giddy as ever, and Ace had now taken up to avoiding Neo's gaze. It made Bree crack a smile as she realized why.

"Calm down Ace," she said, taking a deep breath, "He's not going to hurt you." She looked to Neo and winked, for one moment feeling like she had her brother figure back. Neo smiled back and chuckled as he too remembered his last words to Bree.

"'Tell the kid Ill be back to check on him,'" he whispered, looking at the ground and quoting himself, "Im sorry I took so long."

Lifting his dark-haired head back up, Neo looked at Bree, who looked back. Reaching a shaky hand up, she removed her own sunglasses so her grey and Neo's brown ones were locked in a hard gaze, neither of them saying a word and their faces expressionless. Then, as suddenly as everything else that had happened that day, Bree was on her feet and throwing her arms around Neo in a tight embrace. Her eyes scrunched shut to fight back the tears and she buried her relieved face into his shoulder.

"I knew you weren't gone," she said softly, "I knew Id see you again." Finally letting go of each other, Bree stepped back to stand beside Ace. Neo stood looking at the two with a bemused look on his face. Then he broke into another smile.

"I never thought Id hear myself say this, but you two do make a cute couple." He grinned sweetly, and Bree threw him a playful glare.

"So you're really _the_ Neo," Circuit piped up, speaking for the first time in several minutes, "The one our ship is named after?"

"You guys named a ship after me?"

"Well the _Nebuchadnezzar II_ sounded too cheesy," Bree replied smirking. Neo shook his head, while Circuit continued to stare in awe at him.

"OK, I think its time for the pleasantries to be over; you said something about helping me get my answers." Bree, like Ace, had never been a patient person.

"Yes," Neo said, clapping his hands together, "You're wondering what Smith is doing back?" For a dead guy he certainly knew what was going on.

"Yeah," Bree said slowly, "I want to know what his plans are this time around, and whether he's made a deal with the machines." That would be a start.

"Well the treaty between the humans and the machines still stands," Neo began, "But the agreement was that the machines would no longer attack the freed humans. It did not say that they could not stop us from preaching to those who are not unplugged. That's where Smith comes in." Bree nodded.

"He's going to help them make it so we cant jack in," she said, sighing heavily.

"Can he do that?" questioned Ace.

"Yes, he can," said Neo, "With the machines help he can hack into our system from the Matrix and cause our systems to irrepairably fry. The machines don't want their energy sources tampered with anymore then it already has been."

"So what do we do?" Bree asked, "Im going to guess that your 'powers' have diminished somewhat? Meaning that we either have to find another 'One' or lose to Smith and the machines."

"Well yes, my powers aren't what they used to be. My speed and, as you saw, ability to stop bullets remain, but I cannot repeat what happened between me and Smith so many years ago. But that doesn't mean that were going to lose."

"But Neo how can we-"

"Bree," he said, interrupting her again and stepping forward to take hold of her shoulders, "We are not really blood-related, but our bond is still existent. You are not powerless. You are capable of great things." There was a glint in his eyes, something that gave Bree the distinct feeling she knew what he was talking about.

"Neo your not suggesting that Im -"

"Yes."

"But I can't be Im just...me."

"Bree you're more than just...did you guys hear that?" Neo suddenly stood up straight and stared around intently.

"You guys have to go," he said suddenly, beginning to shove the three out of the alley. Stella, who had been standing guard, looked up as they approached, shaking a lock of her thick honey hair from her face.

"Finally," she said, "That took long enou-" There was a gun shot, and she never got to finish her sentence. She emitted no sound, though her emerald eyes widened in shock, Bree and the others wearing similar expressions on their faces. After what seemed like a long time, she finally fell forward, blood blossoming from the bullet wound.

It was chaos once she hit the ground. Circuit shrieked, Ace tried to remain calm, but he shaking like a leaf, and Bree was screaming, "Why?" as Neo ushered them all away and told them to run. It seemed like the only thing any of them could do so they ran, like a mouse away from the cat. But the cat was in hot pursuit, and chancing a glance behind her, Bree saw the sick, twisted smile upon the face that was Smith. Turning back around she began yelling for them to keep running, trying to keep the image of Stella's body from her mind. At one point, Circuit tripped, but Neo grabbed him just before he fell.

"Bree!" Neo called to her, "Call Link!" That was when Bree remembered the phone at her hip with the guns. Panting heavily, she reached and picked it up. Flipping it open she dialed.

"Operator," came the shaking voice of Link.

"Link we need an exit, NOW!"

"I got one. Its just around the next corner, First National Bank, there should be a phone on a desk to your right. Hey, what's that weird thing running next to you guys?"

"Smith?" she tried, feeling her legs screaming for a halt.

"No, it's not him...I recognize these codes..." At the moment another gunshot split through the atmosphere and caught Brees right hand, sending the phone flying. She creamed in pain, clutching the damaged limb.

"Bree, you got the exit?" Neo asked as they turned the next corner. Bree nodded, gritting her teeth and not speaking. Neo nodded and shoved Circuit, who he had been holding onto since he tripped, forward to Bree who caught him. She stopped for a moment, to look at him disconcertingly.

"Go," he said simply. Bree shook her head knowing what he wanted to do. She almost walked forward, but Ace grabbed her and dragged her after her him towards the bank.

"Neo!" she cried in anguish as she watched Smith reach him, "Neo..." Then they were out of sight. Ace led both of them into the bank and looked to Bree, her lamely pointed right. He turned to the right and picked up the ringing phone at the desk. Instead of holding it up to his own ear, he held it up to Brees, and she felt herself return to the real world. It wasn't long before she heard Circuit and Ace come back, but Bree just continued to lie there, staring blankly at the metal ceiling above her as though it were the most intriguing thing in the world.

"Bree?" came Ace's voice, from what sounded to her like a great distance, "Bree your hand needs to be looked at." Bree nodded absentmindedly and slowly slid from the chair, her eyes catching the sight of Stella's body, still lying in the chair at the other end. Brees legs began to shake like they were mad of jelly, and her vision began to swim in and out of focus. There was a multitude of inaudible voices as she felt her consciousness slowly leave her.


	5. Surprise!

_Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up when the first four came in such rapid succession, but I had to rewrite all of it when the site went through the update thingy and my document was lost. And of course I'm the stupid one who doesn't save her stories on Word -.- Anyway hope you like this chapter, I really like the twist I added, and while I was finishing this chapter up tonight I had a sudden brainstorm that I think you all will love. Enjoy!  
_

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When Bree's ashen eyes finally fluttered open, she found herself alone, laying in her bed at home, and feeling like crap. She waited until her vision became normal again to move. Finally able to see clearly, she quickly rolled over to her side and, half-hanging off the bed, was violently sick over the edge. Wiping the back of her hand across her mouth, she felt slightly better, but only just. She flopped onto her back again with a sigh, staring at the ceiling for a moment. With a deep breath she lugged herself up into a sitting position just as Ace poked his head into the room.

"Morning, sunshine," he said with a grin, "Good to see you up and about." Watching him step forward into the room, Bree rolled her eyes.

"I'm up," she said dully, "I'm not about. Ace shrugged and pulled a chair over for him to sit in backwards. Bree took a deep breath, the action turning into a wince as it ended. Her head was throbbing mercilessly. She lifted her right hand up to possibly massage the pain away, but noticed for the first time that it was heavily bandaged.

"So how long have I been asleep?" she asked, examining her hand with interest.

"Uh, a couple days, not really sure the exact time," Ace said informatively.

"And do we know the cause for my loss of consciousness?" she asked, still looking her wrapped limb over. At this Ace became a little awkward, but Bree barely noticed.

"Emotional stress and, um, blood loss," he spouted out clumsily. Again, Bree seemed oblivious to his strange behavior, and nearly nodded her hand in satisfaction of his answer when the voice sounded in her head again. Trinity's words brought her attention around so she looked sharply up at Ace.

"Ace," she said slowly, "What else is wrong with me?" Ace tried to look confused, but full focused now, Bree saw through it straight to his true nervous demeanor.

"What do you mean?" he asked, trying to sound convincing. He wasn't doing that great of a job. Bree became sterner; because it was clear to her he was hiding something.

"Tell me. Now." She could almost see her nostrils flaring, and her eyes narrowing in that threatening way. It had always worked on Ace...up until now. There was a long silence as she waited for an answer. When he remained quiet, expertly avoiding eye contact with her, she sighed with aggravation and leaned back against the wall.

"I'm going to be a father," Ace suddenly said in a whisper under his breath. The words left his lips so soft and barely audible, that Bree almost didn't hear them. However, she did, and her reaction was nothing if not remnant of Ace's behavior just moments before. She fell into a complete and utter quietude. Unlike Ace though, she stared blankly at him for what must have been some time before finally finding her voice.

"What...did you say?" she squeaked, her voice seeming to strain with the effort of speaking. A smile spread across Ace's boyish features, and his head finally rose to look at her. Bree felt him take her hand in his, but her mind was mainly hanging on the words that were coming from his mouth.

"I, well you, we...were going to be parents," he finally managed to fumble out.

In the short course of Bree's life here in the real world, she had never shown any expression of shock of surprise since being unplugged. Now, however, she was finding it hard to hide these emotions. Her eyebrows both arched as her eyes widened and her mouth hung slightly open as she stared at Ace. It was a while before she could find her voice, but the first thing she said may not have been the best thing, especially with Ace being as obviously ecstatic as he was.

"I think I need some more sleep," she said wearily.

Aces expression changed rapidly from confusion to understanding, then to a diluted form of dismay. He managed to nod his head slowly and stood up to leave. As he shuffled his way to the door, Bree experienced an extreme pang of guilt. She was thrilled at the news, she really was. It was just so much had happened in the last twenty-four hours, or at least the last twenty-four hours shed been conscious, and she was having a difficult time getting it to set.

"Ace," she called just as he was about to turn out the door. He turned around and looked back in her direction as she beckoned him to her with her finger. When he reached the bedside again she leaned forward and kissed him for a long moment. Pulling back slightly she held his face in her pallid hands to gaze deep into those baby blue eyes that had drawn her to him in the first place.

"I guess that would account for the vomiting," she said smirking. Though he appeared to be trying to hold it back, a small bit of laughter escaped his throat. Bree smiled wide at that and gave him another quick kiss.

"I'm happy," she told him, "I promise. Now go celebrate...you're going to be a father."

The last bit was said in a happy whisper, the idea of her words seeming to finally settle within her. He was going to be a father, and she a mother. It was an overwhelmingly happy thought, but at the moment she was too tired to go and celebrate with him. He probably wouldn't celebrate anyway, and just wander about Zion in a daze. With a smile and curled back up in the bed and listened to Ace finally exit the room. Her eyes slowly drooped and she fell back into slumber.

It was late afternoon when Bree awoke for the second time. She sat up, and felt like she wanted to throw up once more, but realized there was nothing in her stomach to come back up. She had not eaten since before going into the Matrix, and now she was really hungry. Slowly she got out of bed, and dragged her vigorless form into the kitchen area where she set a pot to boil. She nibbled on a piece of bread as she watched her water begin to bubble.

The unmistakable sound of someone pounding on the steel door that led into her home brought Bree's attention away from her meager, half-eaten plate of food. Rising from her chair she went to open the door. The sight that met her brought a cheerful smile to her face, and she raised her bandaged hand up in a greeting.

"Hello, Captain Roland," she said brightly, "Good to see you." The captain smiled back and nodded.

"Likewise," he said, at first happily, and then he returned to being serious, "Commander Morpheus has requested your presence in his office." Finished giving the message, he turned to his side and stomped back down the metal aisle.

Bree stood in her doorway for some time staring after him, before darting back inside her house. She grabbed a ragged sweater and quickly shoved it over her tangled head as she hurried out the door which she had left open. Shutting it behind her with her foot she jogged swiftly down the hall in the same direction as Roland. What could Morpheus possibly want with her now? She kept going over possibilities in her head as she walked, hoping one would present a positive feeling.

The large door that she remembered from a few days ago was in sight and she was no more then thirty feet from it when she suddenly stopped. She stood for just a moment before running quickly over the rusty railing over which she leaned and lost what little lunch she had managed to consume. Spitting the last chunk out of her mouth, she swiped her sleeve across her lips and made to walk away, but grabbed the railing and leaned back over it.

"Sorry," she called weakly down to the person who was now furiously wiping the vomit from their shirt and glaring up at Bree from where they stood. Casting an apologetic smile down at them, she turned and continued the short way that remained to Morpheus office.

Pushing the heavy door open she paused. Staring back at her were two people, one of them of course being Morpheus, and the other being Ace. Getting over her initial surprise, she resumed movement and strolled across the threshold to take a seat in the chair beside Ace in front of the large desk. She smiled at Morpheus who smiled back serenely with a nod of his bald head, his hands folded on the surface of the desk.

"You asked to see me?" she said politely.

"Yes," Morpheus said, unfolding his arms and leaning backwards in his chair, "First I'd like to congratulate you and Ace both." It took a moment for her to realize what he was taking about. When she did she smiled and nodded happily.

"Yes, it's definitely a little bit of a bright light right now," she said with a nod, trying to keep the vague images of Stella's body from her mind.

"Athena and Cyril will be very pleased by this news." Bree raised both of her dark brows as she thought of Morpheus and Niobe's two riotous toddlers whom she and Ace had babysat many times. Each time had made the two wish even more that the parents would stop asking them to do so. Even so, however, the two children were fairly pleasant beings and quite likeable.

"Yes, I'm sure they will be, but sir, I know this is not why you asked me to come here. You could have told me all of this at my home." Morpheus sighed, leaning back forward and replacing his hands upon his desk.

"You are scheduled to leave Zion tomorrow," he said plainly.

"But _The Neo_ is not due to set sail for three more days at least, not tomorrow," Bree said, confused.

"That is because you no longer work aboard _The Neo_. You have been reassigned to a different ship."

"I've been what! No, you can't do that. Only the captain can reassign his or her crew to another position or ship." With that said she swiftly turned her head to the right and looked at Ace. Her expression of puzzlement quickly shifted to one of befuddled dismay. For the second time that day, Ace was averting her gaze.

"Ace?" she said timidly. He slowly turned to look at her, a pained look of apology on his face.

"Bree," he pleaded, "Please understand. I don't want you going back into the Matrix, and if you stay here that is what you will do. It's too much of a risk to take. I could lose you, or _we _could lose the baby." Bree did not say anything for a long time. She merely looked back and forth between the two men with a look of utter shock and betrayal on her face. Finally she sighed, and turned away from Ace, not looking at him again the rest of the time.

"So which ship have I been reassigned to?" she asked bitterly.

"The _Nostradamus_," said Morpheus, still calm as ever.

"_Nostradamus_?"

"He was a French-"

"I know _who_ Nostradamus is," she said impatiently, "I meant _what_ is the _Nostradamus_. It's not a fleet name I recognize."

"It is the replacement ship for the _Logos_ on the fleet," Ace piped up, probably in an attempt to get Bree to look at him. It didn't work.

"But Niobe is already committed to _The Neo_," Bree said, still focusing on Morpheus.

"I know that," he deeply.

"Then who is captaining this ship?"

"That would be me," came a voice from the doorway. Without looking back Bree inwardly groaned and hung her head slightly. Revolving ever so slowly in her seat she looked at the man standing in the entrance to the office.

"Captain Lock," she said with a less respectful nod and smile then she would give others.

"Bree," Lock responded in much the same manner. Bree turned back around in her chair and looked at Morpheus, begging with him to reconsider this. She and Captain Lock had a long history of not getting along, even hating each other. Seeing she was not going to receive any help from the commander, she stood abruptly from her chair and strode over to stand firmly in front of the captain, who seemed quite surprised at this sudden movement.

"Ok, since it doesn't look like this idea is going to be reconsidered by those who made it happen," she said, finally looking at Ace, though it was not the kind of look he wanted, "Lets get one thing straight right off the bat. I don't like you, and you don't like me, so I am not going to be like your little drone around the ship. I will do things my own way, on my own time, and I expect you to listen if I have a suggestion. I will not, however, hinder the production of the ship in any way; I _will_ do my part to help out. Also, you are not to treat me any worse then the other crew members. Now, if you do not like these terms you are free to decline the notion of my joining your ship, but since I know you wont do that I would appreciate it if you told me when I am to report to you tomorrow."

>

Lock stood speechless, opening and closing his mouth like a cod fish. Bree tried not to smirk with satisfaction at his reaction, but the corners of her mouth kept twitching. After a few minutes Lock seemed to finally come to his senses again and stood rigid and professionally in front of her, staring down at the independent woman before him.

"Noon, don't be late," he said gruffly. He then turned and strode from the office room, obviously a little disgruntled. Sighing, Bree turned back to the two other men still remaining in the office. Both were staring at her expectantly, and she just continued to stare back blankly.

"You are both going to pay for this," she said, before storming out of the office herself, leaving a weary Morpheus, and a melancholy Ace behind her.

Bree walked for a long time, not really seeing where she was going and just letting her feet take her to where they wanted to go. How long she continued like this was forever unknown to Bree, but in what seemed to her like ages, she found herself once again in the Sections. Not hesitating this time she made her way down the long aisle until she reached the silver plaque that held the name of one she still held dear to her heart. Reaching up she stroked the smooth metal and managed a smile.

"I saw him Trin," she said softly, "He's still around. I still can't believe it, but I saw him with my own eyes. When he hugged me, he felt so real, but he was only a memory. Smith got to him though, and now his memory is probably gone from the Matrix. But what does that matter right? I still have my memories of him, and my memories of you." Taking a step back she sat down, cross-legged, on the ground before the final resting place of her friend.

"I haven't told Ace you were the one who really told me that I was...well pregnant," she said, faltering a little as she was still becoming used to the idea, "But I don't think it's that big of a deal. Can you believe it though? I mean I'm going to be a mother. I never imagined myself as a mother before. You think I'll do well?" As the words left her mouth the voice that had become ever so familiar to her spoke in her mind. Bree smiled and chuckled.

"Yeah, well, you have to encourage me, but you're right. And I know Ace will be great father. He's already in love with the idea. Me? Well I'll get used to it in time, but right now I'm just thinking about my reassignment. I have to sever under Lock! I can't believe that Ace would do this to me." There was the voice again.

"I know," Bree said with a childish sigh, "I know he's just trying to protect me, and the baby. But Lock? Of all the captains on the fleet. I guess I'll have to put up with it huh?" Bree listened as her mental friend spoke to her one more time. Then she nodded, smiled, and gaze up at the silver plaque. She got to her feet, and began walking back down the aisle, throwing one last glance backwards before disappearing out of sight of the silver sign.

Arriving home, Bree was a little more cheerful then she had been all day. She still didn't like the idea of being on the same ship as that...well Captain Lock, but she could tell there was no way around it. She shoved the heavy door to her home open with her shoulder. Stepping in she shut the door behind her and looked around, not seeing Ace immediately. Puzzled, she walked into the main living quarters and saw him sitting on the couch with his head propped up on his linked hands, and staring away at nothing. Giving a sigh, Bree felt a small pang of guilt and walked slowly forward, taking a seat beside him.

"Ace?" she asked, placing an arm around him, "Come on, it's alright. I'm not mad."

"You should be," he murmured miserably, his lips barely moving, "I betrayed you, and I deserve to be hated." Bree rolled her eyes and tightened her one-arm grip around him.

"Ace, I'm not mad at you alright. I don't like the fact that I'm going to be working on the same ship as someone I utterly despise, but I'm not mad at you." With her free hand she grasped his face and turned him around to face her.

"I love you," she said simply, planting a brief kiss upon his lips, "Never forget that." The two smiled at each other, before Bree finally gave a laugh as something very humorous was spoken in her mind.

"Why Lock though?" she asked, pulling back slightly from Ace, who took on a look like a child who knew that a reprimand was on the horizon.

"He's the only one who won't let you into the Matrix from the ship's jack room," he said, wincing, as though waiting for a blow.

Bree actually thought about this for a moment. In truth, she had not thought of re-entering the Matrix since she had awoken earlier that day. She supposed it had a lot to do with Stella being dead, but maybe she was just afraid learning more then she wanted to now. Now though, even if she wanted to she knew she wouldn't be able to. Ace was right; Lock was the only one who wouldn't let her into the Matrix if told he was not to.

"Well," she said with a yawn, "I guess I should probably get to be. I have a big day tomorrow." She hugged Ace, kissed him goodnight and head off to the bedroom. Ace normally lingered awake for many more hours, just thinking or occupying himself. He was what you might call an insomniac. Bree had grown used to this and learned to think of the sounds of his movements as soothing music that helped her to sleep. Tonight though, she did not need it. She fell asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow. 


	6. Silent Goodbyes

The _Nostradamus_ was a real beauty. With the end of the war between human and machine, engineers were now able to spend more time building the ships, and making changes such as larger quarters. They didn't need to use up so much room with firing stations and ammunition feeders. This way the main purpose for every ship was exploration, and going into the Matrix to try and unplug those who were still a part of the machines endless feeding supply. The _Nostradamus_ was even more special because with more time to spend on research there had been some enormous improvements with the equipment used to enter the Matrix. More programs had been added to the database, and there was less of a risk of being killed now, though it was still a possibility.

However, on the day of the _Nostradamus _launch, Bree was not bustling about, busily making the final preparations, or staring in awe at its magnificent structure. She was just standing on the peak of the platform leading dock to Docking Bay Seven, where the ship was waiting, watching it all happen. She almost looked bore. Though, at random intervals she would point out into the crowd and give some minor direction to the people wheeling supplies on carts to the ship, and fixing a few glitches on the outer armor. With a bored glance to her left she suddenly stood erect and pointed strictly at something.

"Tron!" she called out, her voice resonating around the dock. Stumbling with his load, the boy whom she had shouted at froze and looked in Brees direction rather fearfully. Suddenly looking quite menacing she beckoned him towards her. He quickly abandoned his cart of ammunition, and ran to stand up to her, standing as straight as he could. Bree eyed him in a frightening way.

"Could you please get me a glass of water?" she said, taking on a very sweet tone, and winking one eye. At first a look of puzzlement appeared on Trons face, but then there was nothing but relief. He nodded in compliance and ran off to fulfill her request. Bree watched him go and smiled to herself.

"Nice kid," she said absentmindedly to no one.

"Wouldn't be talking about me would you?" a voice spoke up at her side. Bree glanced over at Ace, noting the smile on his face, her own smile disappearing. The look on his face suggested he wanted her to laugh, or look at him in a happy way. Instead she just stared at him with a blank expression.

"Now why would I be talking about you?" she asked him with sarcastic curiosity. Then she turned her face away from him and resumed her studious watching of the assemblage of people working on the ship. She heard Ace sigh and saw him run a hand unnecessarily through his short, dark hair out of the corner of her eye.

"Bree," he began in a pleading voice.

"Ace for the last time I'm **not**mad at you," she said cutting him off and turning to stare at him again, a thoroughly annoyed look on her face, "I'm just irritated that you couldn't have told me about this yourself instead of running to Morpheus and asking him to do it for you. I don't like thinking I fell in love with a coward."

Without another word she stepped down from her post and waded into the swarm of people, leaving a disheartened and crushed Ace behind her. Bree knew that she really didn't have to be so hard on him. She had, in fact, forgiven him the night before for this whole debacle, but this morning she had awoken with a renewed anger and annoyance with his actions. Not to mention the urge to throw up. She was just not in the mood to be kind to him.

She continued walking distractedly through the crowd until she felt a tap on her shoulder. Thinking it was Ace she turned around with a heavy sigh and prepared to scream something at him. As she came completely turned around though, she found herself face-to-face with Captain Lock. The captain had with him Tron, whom he was holding by the shoulder, a mixture of anger and puzzlement on his face. Mostly anger though.

"Did you send this boy to go and get you a glass of water, instead of loading the ammunition feeder?" he asked Bree, looking as though he had wanted to use a much greater volume in his voice. Tron gave a small sigh, apparently unheard by Lock. Bree herself looked quite calm.

"Yes I did," she said, glancing momentarily at Tron as he sighed, "And I'll ask you to use his name and not 'boy'. It's embarrassing to him and does not exactly have a flattering reflect on your already struggling reputation. A captain should not use insulting terms addressing his crew members when they have done nothing except follow an order made by a superior." With a smile, she reached out, grabbed a hold of Trons other arm and tugged him gently out of Lock's grasp. Placing her own hand upon the young adult's shoulder, she led him quickly away, the captain staring at them in utter silence.

"Don't let him intimidate you," Bree told him with another, reassuring smile.

"I know I shouldn't," Tron said with a shrug, "I just wish he wouldn't be so hard on me."

Bree nodded understandingly. "How old are you?"

"Um, nineteen."

"Well then here soon you'll surpass him in rank, believe me. His reign as tyrant has been long due to be over." With a final smile she let Tron return to his cart. Sighing, she walked closer to the ship, glancing up to the top of it where a few people worked.

"Zane that's too tight!" she called to a man not too much younger then herself who was sitting atop the ship with a wrench tightening the bolts around one of the vents. He looked up when he heard his name and looked down at Bree.

"Loosen it up a little bit, the air won't get through with it that tight," she told him.

"But Captain Lock said that it's better to rely on the oxygen supplier then having something else get in through the vents," Zane said.

"Did he give you an example?"

"No."

"Then loosen it." Not saying anything else, Bree continued on her way, up the metal ramp and into the grand vessel. It looked just as magnificent inside as it did outside. The floors sparkled in the light from the outside, and peeking into one of the crew quarters she saw a fairly clean room with a bed with an actual mattress. It was incredible to behold, and for a moment, Bree almost felt proud to be serving on it.

Wandering somewhat aimlessly through the ship, Bree ended up in a doorway looking in on a familiar scene. In the very center, the focal point of the room, were a row of about five tilted chairs with a tall mechanical column behind each one. Facing the chairs and off to one side, were several monitors linked together by many wires and controlled by one keyboard centered right in front of the operator's chair. Walking over to this console, Bree let her grey eyes fall upon one of the screens, watching the coded "matrix feed" cascade downwards in the form of shining green data strands. Reaching a hand up, she slowly began to stretch her fingers towards the monitor. She was so close to the Matrix, yet so far away.

"Bree," a sudden voice spoke softly behind her, and Bree quickly retracted her hand. Casting a quick glance in the direction the sound had come from she just as hastily looked away again and just stared ahead of her with her arms folded.

"Only captain and crew are allowed on the ship during preparation," she said, still not looking in Ace's direction. Bree didn't know why she was acting so harsh really, but it gave her an oddly satisfying feeling.

"Unless given permission by the captain of the ship in question," he retorted, "And I'm happy to say good old Lock complied with my request." Bree sighed with annoyance and focused just that much harder on not looking at him.

"Bree come on, this is ridiculous," Ace said, intriguing a glance his way out of Bree as she noticed that his voice was not pleased this time, but was heavily tinged with annoyed, irritable exasperation, "You're leaving in just under an hour or less and you're still not talking to me. I'm not letting you leave this city still angry with me!"

Somewhere in the middle of Ace's bold, miniature speech, Bree had finally turned around to look at him, so when he finally finished talking, the two were locked in a hard stare, not moving an inch and not saying a word. At some point Bree thought she heard someone appear in the doorway, but if so they disappeared just as quickly, leaving the pair completely alone and undisturbed. It was a long time before anything was said, and both Bree and Ace probably would have preferred it otherwise.

"Bree," a small voice called from the arch leading into the room. Eyes widened slightly with surprise, Bree shifted her gaze to a familiar face standing in the door.

"Circuit," she said, a little flustered. She had not come face-to-face with the computer programmer since the incident in the Matrix.

This was for several reasons, one being that she merely didn't want to be asked any questions about Neo. However, the main reason was because, in Brees mind, Circuit had every right to hate her. While he had not been harmed physically in any way and had only suffered the emotional pain they all had, Bree felt that she had failed in protecting him the way she should have. Had it not been for Neo, who had been the one to catch Circuit when he tripped as they ran from Smith, two members of the crew would have been lost instead of one.

"Lock wanted me to tell you guys that the cast-off ceremony will be held outside the ship shortly," said Circuit, in all manners quite calm. With a small, flickering smile, he turned to leave.

"Circuit, wait," Bree called suddenly, pushing past Ace as Circuit turned back around, "I'm sorry. I am so, so sorry." She had wanted to say that ever since she woke up, but had not had the courage to seek him out and face him. Now she had said it. Circuit, though, looked rather confused.

"Sorry about what?" he asked.

"Everything," she sighed, "It's all my fault. I should have protected you better. I knew it was your first time and I was careless. I just wish things would have turned out differently."

"So do I," Circuit replied, sounding much more mature then the bouncy, excited person he was in the Matrix, "But that doesn't mean it's your fault. You guys were always warning me about the dangers of the Matrix. I should have known better then to go running off like that."

Bree wanted desperately to say something, but no words came out. She wanted to contradict him, and continue to insist that it was still her fault, but something in Circuit's voice, his sincerity maybe, made it difficult for her to do so. Instead Breed just smiled gratefully at him, and he returned it with is own grin and a nod. Then he left, leaving Bree and Ace alone once again. Brees back was turned to Ace, and she had no intention of turning around this time. After several minutes she felt a hand on her shoulder, but she no longer had the strength or will to shrug it off.

"So that's why you've been so bitter?" said Ace's soft, somewhat shaky voice, "You thought Stella's death was your fault?" Bree turned around again, no longer looking harsh and strong-willed, but weak and fragile.

"Kind of stupid, huh?" she said with a wavering smile. Slowly she felt Ace's arms wrap tightly around her like a security blanket.

"Not at all," he whispered, and as the tears came Bree threw her arms around him. They stayed that way, in a tight, twisted embrace for a long time.

Outside the _Nostradamus_, a great crowd had congregated and was respectfully listening as Captain Lock made his speech on the hard work and toil that had gone into the making of the vessel. He went on to discuss the journey both he and his crew had made to make it to this day. Today, he said, would mark the cast-off of the most prestigious ship on the fleet. After many tedious minutes, Lock finally reached the part most of the assemblage had come for: the introduction of the crew that would serve upon the grand machine.

First to come up and make his bows was Tron, looking both nervous and excited as everyone was on their first ship assignment. He would serve as the pilot, the youngest in the entire fleet, but very skilled at his job. Next up was Gaia, looking particularly surly with her long jet-black hair rippling behind her in a gnarled mass. She would be the ship's first aid specialist, which definitely surprised many people. Tick came up after her, a slightly twitchy man, and who would take the spot of computer programmer aboard the _Nostradamus_. Zane trotted up as Tick took his place beside Gaia in the line-up, standing tall and proud with his muscled arms folded over his chest. He would work on as the vessel's main mechanic, a job that Bree would normally have been assigned to. However, because of a delay in the operator training program, she would have to act as the operator for the ship when the crew jacked in. She found this cruelly ironic.

It was just as Skip walked up to bow to the crowd over his enormous girth, that Bree darted from within the ship, down the ramp, and sprinted to the side of the small stage that had been set up, awaiting her turn. Her appearance had caused a brief pause in Lock's introduction of the large man, who was, Bree knew, trying to direct the crowd's attention from Bree with his ecstatic waving. She would have to thank him later. She liked the man, and was glad he would be their cook while abroad. Her name was called not long after Skip stepped into the line of crew members, and with a bright smile she stepped up to the stage and proceeded to its center to enthusiastic applause. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Ace slip out of the ship and into the crowd. She felt relieved that no one appeared to have seen him.

Once Bree had taken her place in the line-up, Captain Lock gave the podium to Councilor Hammand who would bless the ship in a prayer, and walked over to stand next to Bree. She found herself feeling a sense of satisfaction at the absolute fury in his eyes. She did realize how it must have looked for her to have come dashing out of the vessel, her hair slightly ruffled, and her large sweater pulled off one shoulder. Out of the corner of his mouth, his lips barely moving at all, Lock whisper to her.

"I can't believe you almost ruined the ceremony with your little shenanigan," he said.

"Oh don't exaggerate," she whispered back into the same ventriloquist-like manner, "I hardly 'almost ruined' it. You're just sore because I interrupted you." This seemed to render the captain speechless, because he didn't say anything else. He didn't trust himself to speak because the next thing that came out of his mouth might be yelled and he did not want to risk that while Councilor Hammand said his prayer.

"May the spirits guide you on your journey," Councilor Hammand said as he turned to the crew, looking at each of them in turn, "And guide you safely back to Zion." He then bowed his head ever so slightly at them, and they all bowed in return, the assemblage of people breaking out into applause again. After the clapping died down Lock bid the crew to leave and say their final good-byes to whomever they wanted, and to be back when the gong sounded.

Bree leapt lightly off the stage, for a fleeting moment wondering whether she should really be doing such things given her…condition, and looked around for Ace. She didn't see him, which puzzled her greatly and caused her a slight sadness. He wouldn't have just run off, would he? She didn't want to think so, but she still could not find him. Wearing an expression of the utmost gloom, she stuck her hands in the ragged pockets of her pants and began wandering around, not really caring where her feet took her.

Somehow, Bree ended up standing in front of _The Neo_, the ship she no longer worked aboard. She stood for some time, staring at its vast size, before she walked closer to it and placed a single hand up its metallic surface, as she had with Trinity's plaque. It felt smooth and natural against her palm and for a short moment she smiled, lighting her face in a way that had not been present for days. She had loved this ship, loved working on it, and loved learning every inch of it with her mechanical doings. It had been a place where she felt at home and comfortable, where peace and quiet was not just a thing dreamed about in the noisy city, but was reality.

"I'm going to miss you," she said, not feeling at all silly to be talking to a ship, "A lot."

"And what about us?" said a voice behind her she recognized as Ace. She turned around in a surprised twirl of dark hair and torn clothing, and her grey eyes widened considerably at what she saw.

The entire crew that still worked on _The Neo_, and one person she definitely had not planned on seeing, was standing in a clustered group in front of her, all of them smiling. Bolt and Magnet stood in the very back, their arms crossed in a comically similar manner. Link and Circuit stood in the middle, with Niobe and Ace standing in front of them. Morpheus stood off to the side, though still very much a part of the group, and smiling broadly like everyone else. Bree just stared all of them in shock until she found her voice.

"What are you all doing here?" she said. It was the only thing she could think to say.

"You didn't think you were going to leave without saying goodbye did you?" ask Bolt with his handsome smile.

Doing the only thing that seemed right to do; Bree walked forward and embraced everyone in sight. It ended up just turning into one large group hug, all of them just standing with their arms around each other. They were a family, whether genetics said so or not. It wasn't long before Bree realized she was crying, but tears no longer mattered. All that mattered was that she was with the only group of people she had ever truly loved, minus two people. After several emotional minutes they all separated, Bree not the only one wiping her eyes.

"I'm going to miss you guys," she said with a sniff, "I really am. I don't blame anyone for my reassignment anymore. I don't know how I'm not going to think about not going into the Matrix, but I'll survive." She paused for a moment, contemplating whether or not to go on. In the end her mind voted the positive.

"I just wish I could have heard the rest of what Neo had to say in the Matrix." For a few minutes after she said this, Bree didn't notice how stunned and confused everyone looked. The only exceptions were Circuit and Ace.

"What do you mean what 'Neo had to say in the Matrix?'" asked Niobe.

"Neo has been gone for many years," Morpheus said slowly.

Brows furrowing Bree looked to Circuit and Ace, who both almost seemed to be smirking.

"We didn't say anything to anybody if that's what you're wondering," said Ace, smiling. Bree smiled back before looking to the rest of the group, realizing she would have to tell them what had happened, something she had been trying to avoid doing.

"I saw Neo in the Matrix," she began, "At least a part of him. I know it sounds crazy, but I know what I saw. It was Neo; there is no doubt in my mind about it. He told me that his body had been destroyed but his mind had stayed in the Matrix. Then he tried to tell me -" Before she could finish her sentence, a loud gong rang out through Zion, shaking the ground slightly, and all talk of Neo seemed to be forgotten.

Everyone moved in for one last hug, then one-by-one they left, leaving only Bree and Ace standing alone and looking at one another. Bree wanted to say so much to him now, but she knew she had to get back at the ship with everyone else, or risk suffering from verbal whiplash via Captain Lock. Instead she just kissed him briefly and walked away with just a melancholy wave of her hand which he returned. Then she was off, walking towards the _Nostradamus_, the new part of her life journey as Morpheus would say, not having any idea of what lay ahead for her and her growing family.


	7. What?

_It was dark, so dark. And cold, so very cold. The city below was almost invisible in the shadows, masked by the silence of the night. Bree was looking at it all as though she were a bird. The machine city. She felt herself shiver as she realized where she was, but she was not afraid. She was hovering directly above the fields, where the machines harvested their never-ending supply of energy: us. Without the humans they kept sleeping and dreaming, they would die. _

_Feeling a sudden urge to get closer, Bree moved herself forward, her body floating in mid-air like a spirit. She maneuvered around the rows of bodies, weaving through the tall columns. All at once she stopped, and hovered in front of one of the thousands of body containments. Suddenly, all of her courage and curiosity was gone. Now, all she wanted to do was to leave as quickly as she could, but something held her in place. Slowly, she felt herself inch forward until she was staring at the person lying within the early grave. _

_A silent scream touched her lips, and her grey eyes widened with horror. Her own faced stared up at her, quietly slumbering. Bree backed up in fear and confusion, her body a single flow of adrenaline. Something moved to her left and she looked up to see a machine towering above her and a sickening thought came to her mind. It was feeding time. A mechanical arm came forward, reaching for the casket that Brees body was lying in. Her floating self was going to have to watch herself be liquefied and fed as fuel to the murderous machines. _

_Just before the arm was able to do its duty, there was a bright flash of light that almost blinded Bree. She closed her eyes just before the arm retracted, as though in pain. When Bree reopened her eyes, everything was suddenly lit up, as though it were all on fire. _

Bree awoke sweating from her dreams, her chest heaving up and down as she laid still not moving a muscle, but instead just staring up at the ceiling. She stayed this way until the unpleasantly familiar feeling of nausea gripped her and she bolted out of her bed to the bucket she had placed in her room, losing what was left of her dinner from the previous night. With a weary sigh she wiped the back of her hand across her mouth and slightly staggered out of the door. There was no one out in the corridor, but they were probably all in the dining room eating breakfast. After vomiting into her bucket, Bree didn't feel much like consuming anything, so she headed for the jack room to get ready. It was a preaching day.

The main objective of any ship, whether on its maiden voyage or not, is for the crew to go into the Matrix and attempt to convince the people still dreaming that their world is not real, and that it's all an illusion. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't, but the times that it did were enough to keep them at it. When the agents were still around it was a dangerous task but in the last eight years the percentage of people they freed had doubled. That is until the recent discovery that the machines had reinstated Agent Smith and his crew and Matrix programs. Now, they all had to be extremely careful.

They had been in there for hours, Bree thought as she lazily spun around in the operating chair, trying to keep her eyes studiously on the screen. Lock had called only once to ask for directions and after that everything had gotten ominously silent. Only Bree, Gaia, Skip, and Tron had remained behind while the others went into the Matrix. Skip was making lunch, Gaia was busy in the lower deck mixing a salve for Zane when he returned because he had burned his hand, and Tron was up front piloting the ship. However, even with these other people around, Bree still felt alone. She had since the ship's launching. This was not her crew, not her ship, and definitely not her family. She wanted to go home.

It was now two weeks into the _Nostradamus'_ maiden voyage. Since it was a brand-new ship, they had to put it through its paces by taking it down all the known routes through the tunnels of the real world. So far, there had been no problems, but everyone knew that nothing was predictable even in this time of peace, and they all stayed alert. Anything could happen at any time, and it was this thought, and memories of past events, that kept them all sharp and vigilant.

Bree was beginning to grow drowsy with boredom. The members of the crew in the Matrix were still walking around New York somewhere, and the few the remained behind were in other parts of the ship. Slowly, she felt herself slip into sub-consciousness, the room around her becoming a blur before disappearing altogether. Instead of a monitor sitting before her she saw a pair of dark brown eyes, dark hair. She smiled at the wonderful familiarity of the face and the memories it brought back to her. She could sit there and bask in the daydream for hours.

The clear ringing of a phone brought her back to reality, the room quickly dissolving back into view, Neos face retreating back into her mind. Bree reached for a button on the keyboard that would connect her with whoever was calling her. She put the headset on and spoke clearly into it.

"Operator."

"Bree!"

"Captain Lock?" Her heart jumped up to her throat at the urgency in his tone.

"Bree you have to help us! He's got us! Bree, please you must-" Then there was just static. The connection was lost.

For a moment Bree just sat there, her grey eyes wide, and her mouth hanging open like a fish. The headset slowly slid off her head and onto the floor. A loud clang rang in her ears as it struck the metal. That snapped her out of it. Her mind became a sudden whir of activity as a dozen questions began asking themselves in her brain, vying for the position of first priority. What could have happened to them? Who was "he"? She went with the former first, since the answer to the second was obvious. She reached hurriedly for the button that activated the ship's new intercom system.

"Gaia, Skip, Tron, please report to the jack room immediately. We have an emergency situation." She was shocked momentarily by the hysteria in her voice.

With that done, Bree leaned back in her chair, staring at the screen with the green codes dripping down like rain in a storm. There was one inconsistency as far as she could see. She believed that the phone call had been legit, but on the screen Lock and the others all appeared fine. The codes were telling her nothing was wrong. Then, suddenly and with the force of a bullet, the answer came to her.

"A cover-up program," she whispered aloud.

"What?"

Bree jumped a little and turned around to see Tron standing behind her now. She could see Gaia just entering the room, with Skip not too far behind her. His size often slowed his speed where ever he went.

"I think Smith has the others held captive," Bree told them, for the first time looking solemnly over at the four figures lying in the chairs in front of them. They all looked like they were sleeping, but Bree knew otherwise, and the thought made her stomach roll threateningly.

"What?" Gaia exclaimed, mimicking Trons previous inquiry.

"Yeah, Lock just called for help but he got cut off. But on the screen they look fine. I think the machines are using a cover-up program. It's a simple enough concept. You just make a program of whatever you want your target to see, then hack into their system and play it on a loop. It's like a diversion so they can do what they need to do without anybody seeing."

"But isn't that a violation of the treaty?" asked Skip, who was stroking his beard thoughtfully. Bree shook her head.

"No, the treaty only said that the machines would no longer attack the freed humans. Anyone jacked into the Matrix, however, is free meat."

"But why would they want to capture Lock and the others?" Tron asked her. Bree could tell he was trying not to panic.

"Because they don't want us to unplug anymore people," she told him, "They don't want their energy source tampered with anymore."

"So what do they want with our crew?" Skip said his voice calm. He was not one who panicked easily.

"I don't know…unless." Bree suddenly gasped with horror as another bullet struck her mind. In a flash she was up and running over to the radio used to communicate between ships. The others who were following behind her asking "what was going on?" and "who was she calling?" She ignored them.

"This Lieutenant Bree of the _Nostradamus _contacting _The Neo_. Please, if anyone's there pick up." There a long pause during which Brees dread steadily grew. Then…

"Bree, is that really you?"

"Link?" she answered shrilly into the radio, "Oh, it's so good to hear your voice. Yes, it's really me. Listen, don't ask any questions, but I need you to tell me who of the crew over there is jacked into the Matrix." In her mind she already knew the list.

"Um, Magnet, Cyprus, Ace, and Circuit. Why are you asking?" Brees stomach dropped to her toes as she heard the names. She felt suffocated with terror as she thought of her beloved Ace, and the innocent Circuit trapped in the Matrix, for she knew they were.

"Link, Smith has them captured," she said, trying to talk through the lump in her throat, "He has several of our crew as well."

"What…how can…but what does he want with them?" he sputtered. Bree had to swallow the lump and force back to tears fighting for freedom before she could answer him.

"He's trying to irreparably fry our system so we can't jack into the Matrix. To do that he needs Circuit. I think he took _our_ crew members as bargaining tools or something. Or maybe he just enjoys torturing people." She could hear the sudden gasps and more inquiries from the other people behind her as she explained all this to Link.

"But on the screen, my crew is f-" Link began, but Bree interrupted him.

"He's using a cover-up program." Brees mind was locked in a weighted battle, but she knew which decision would win. "Listen Link, I need you to contact Zion and tell Morpheus what's happening. Tell him we might need some help. In the meantime lift the cover-up program so you can watch what's going on." The battle was over.

"What are you going to do?" Link asked cautiously, knowing her too well to think she was just going to sit around. He was right.

"I'm going into the Matrix." She disconnected before Link could reply and then turned around, looking at the three people before her. Bree could tell they were in shock, stunned in fact by what was happening. None of them really knew how crazy things were apt to get. Only Skip had been unplugged while the war was still raging. Gaia and Tron could never be prepared for something like this.

"Look, I don't want anyone protesting," she told them firmly, "I'm the only one who has a chance at saving the others." The look on their faces showed a mixture of concern, fright, and uncertainty. Skip folded his arms across his wide chest.

"I'm not letting you go in alone," he said in his deep voice. Bree opened her mouth to protest but wasn't able to say anything.

"Then I'll go with her," piped up Tron, who, Bree thought, looked not unlike someone else she remembered in times of trouble. He was scared, but he did his best to keep a brave composure and do what he had to do. But she was not going to let him come with her because he looked courageous.

"No," she said flatly, "I'm not risking your life in something this dangerous."

"Well you had better," Skip informed her, "Because unless you let him go, then you're getting nowhere near those chairs." Bree stared at him, noting his wide abdomen. Then she glanced at the screen where the green codes continued to descend down the screen. She let out a heavy sigh.

"Fine," she agreed in defeat, "But you make even _one_ wrong move I am calling for an exit for you, got it?" Tron nodded his understanding. Still not thinking this was a very good idea, but realizing she had no choice, Bree walked over to one of the chairs and lifted herself up into one. Tron followed her and did the same. She closed her eyes, and felt herself dissolve from the room.

The sidewalk felt familiar beneath Brees feet as she stood beside a red and white "No Parking after 7 P.M." sign, and a glance across the street at an electronic shop's window filled with televisions sets made her stomach roll violently. However, she managed not to vomit by remembering she had a job to do. She looked over at Tron, and the look of wonder on his face caused another nauseating memory to surface in her mind and she looked away quickly. She reached down to the phone at her hip and pushed a couple of numbers. Then she listened to the sharp ringing, waiting for someone to pick up.

"Operator," Gaia answered on the other line.

"Where are they?" Bree asked her. There was a pause while she waited for Gaia to check.

"In a warehouse, about 4 miles outside the city going west." Bree hung up without another word. She looked to Tron, trying to ignore the fact that he looked like Circuit, and nodded her head in the direction they were heading.

Meanwhile, in a warehouse about 4 miles outside the city going west, the crew members of _The Neo_ and the _Nostradamus_, lay huddled in a pile in the corner. Many of them sported some small bruises and some were even bloody, courtesy of the three agents that surrounded them. Only Circuit was not harmed. He was seated in a wooden chair away from the group with the worst agent of them all: Smith, who was smiling in a way that would send a chill down anyone's spine.

"Now, I'm going to ask you once again," Smith said smoothly, slowly circling Circuit like a vulture as he sat in the chair, his fear showing through the brave face he was trying to put on, "How do I hack into the system.?"

"I already told you," Circuit said slowly, "I don't know." Smith's smile disappeared and he glanced over at the agents standing around the other captives. One of them nodded and delivered a hard kick to Magnet's ribs. He uttered a cry of pain, but it was weak.

"Stop hurting them!" shouted Circuit, his eyes widening. What was he supposed to do?

"Then tell me what I want to know," Smith told him firmly. His smile was back, more of a smirk then a smile. The boy was beginning to look defeated.

"Circuit," a bruised and exhausted Ace managed to mumble as he tried to sit up, "Don't tell him anything. We'll be fine." For his input, Ace received a shoe in the side of his face, spraying the floor lightly red.

"Stop!" cried Circuit desperately, "Please." Smith's patience was running out. He grabbed a clump of hair on the back of Circuit's head and held him still. The agent reached up and took the dark sunglasses from his face. A pair of cold, dark eyes now stared into Circuit's hazel ones.

"Tell me how to hack into the system, and I'll let you all go free." Circuit looked at him, his eyes telling a story of an inner battle within his mind. Would he really let them go? He sounded sincere…

"No," he said suddenly, his face contorting with determined defiance. He spit in Smith's face.

Smith closed his eyes to protect them from the moist projectile. He let go of circuit and stood up straight. He wiped his face clean with one hand, then put the glasses back on. If that was how the little brat wanted it then that was fine with him. He glanced over at the other agents again, sending a silent message. One of them nodded again and smiled slightly. This agent reached into his coat and pulled out a gun. Smith smiled. Circuit's eyes seemed to bulge out of his head as he saw the gleaming metal in the agent's hand. Before he could protest, the crack of a gunshot echoed throughout the warehouse.


	8. Out of the Ordinary

"Bree?"

"Yes, Tron."

"What was Neo like?"

Bree stopped in her tracks, turning around to look at Tron. The question had puzzled her momentarily, but then she realized she couldn't have expected not to have anyone ask her about Neo. Instead of becoming harsh and just ordering Tron to continue following her, she carefully considered how to answer. Neo had been many things, but it was hard just to pinpoint an overall description.

"He was everything a person should be. He did what was right, even if it meant he would die. The ones he loved he protected, by any means necessary. But more then all that he cared, for anyone and anything. Even though there were times he would have rather been somewhere else, he always helped those who needed him. I loved him for all those reasons and more, and I miss him terribly." Yeah, that about covered it.

There was nothing more said between them. Nothing more needed to be said. Bree was vaguely aware that she had never really told all of that to anyone. They both just continued walking, until Bree halted so suddenly that Tron collided into her. She managed to stay on her feet, but Tron fell to the ground with a thud. In front of them was a building, typical in its size, shape, and color. It was an apartment building.

"Bree, what are you doing?" Tron said as he slowly stood up and dusted himself off, "We're not there yet are we?"

"No, I have a stop to make first," she replied. In reality, she shouldn't be stopping, but she had to do this first. She nodded her head toward the building and led Tron inside.

There was nothing at all special about this building, and it looked just as ordinary on the inside as it did outside. The front desk was dusty and deserted. As they began to climb the battered staircase the steps groaned in protest beneath their weight. The green paint on many of the doors was peeling and coming off, making them look old and wise, as though they held some greater knowledge where ever they led to. It was in front of one of these doors that Bree made another sudden stop. This time Tron managed not to run into her.

This door was no different than the others. Its paint may have peeled off more then the others, but it was still green. At least, it looked kind of green. There was a golden plate on the door that had the numbers 688 on it. It gleamed dully in the flickering fluorescent bulbs that lit the musty hallways. A matching doorknob was screwed to one side, but it had a beckoning glint to it. Bree reached for it, wrapping her hand around its round, smooth surface. With a gentle turn the door opened.

Even inside the room nothing appeared strange. There was a small hallway leading to a living room that consisted of mismatched furniture. The entire place smelled of carpet cleaner and mothballs. The television was on in the corner, being viewed by only a single child who seemed to be more concerned with moving the antenna by staring at it. He was doing pretty well. He looked away from the T.V. for a moment to smile and wave his small hand at Bree and Tron. There were a few other people in the room but they barely even glanced up when the two newcomers entered the room. Tron seemed to be finally realizing where they were.

"Bree, is this-"

"Yes it is," she told him before he even finished his sentence, "Go sit over there and wait for me, OK?" Tron looked slightly disappointed but he still nodded and did as he was told. He took a seat next to the telekinetic child. Bree glanced over at him once before stepping through the small doorway on the left that led to the kitchen.

Immediately she was engulfed by the smell of fresh-baked cookies. It brought a parade of happy memories traipsing through the forefront of her mind, each its own individual float with its own purpose. She saw Neo and Trinity, both of whom were gone. She also saw Ace and Circuit, both of whom were still alive…for the time being. This brought her mind out of its break from the pressing matter at hand and back into reality where things were not so cheery.

"I was expecting you," said the voice of the only other person in the kitchen besides Bree. She was a short African-American woman, with graying hair, and wrinkles that shamed the ripples in a pond. She was busy scooping the cookies Bree had smelt, chocolate chip, onto a plate with a spatula.

"You always expect me," Bree replied to her, a smile twitching at the corners of her mouth.

"Well, that is my job," the woman said, "To be the Oracle."

"Which is exactly what I need you to do now," Bree sighed and sat down in one of the plastic chairs sitting around a small dining table. "I need you to be the Oracle."

"You're worried about your friends." It wasn't a question. Bree nodded. "I would be too. You want to know what you can do to help them."

"Yes, I am confused and scared. I don't even know if they're alive."

"Oh, they're alive, but for how long I couldn't tell you." The Oracle had finished putting the cookies on the plate, and brought it with her over to the table where she sat down across from Bree.

"Cookie?" she asked politely.

"No thank you," Bree answered, glancing over at the clock which hung on the wall. Time was passing quickly.

"I know about your meeting with Neo," the Oracle said conversationally as she took a bite of a cookie. She inhaled sharply and quickly swallowed the bite. "They're still a little hot." Brees impatience was growing.

"What about my meeting Neo a couple weeks ago?" Bree asked her, her voice sounding a little more annoyed then she had wanted it to. The Oracle just smiled.

"He told you some things about what the machines are planning to do, which may or may not have been to your advantage given what has happened. He, however, did not get to finish his final statement to you."

"I already told him that it's impossible for me to be the One." Bree had spent many hours convincing herself of this, but this woman was the Oracle. "He was the One. Morpheus unplugged me thinking I was, but it turned out I wasn't. You told me I wasn't and while you have been known to tell people what they need to hear instead of what was necessarily the truth, if I were the One then how could Neo be the One." Bree took a deep breath, having basically said that all in one breathe. The Oracle still continued to smile warmly.

"Did you ever stop to think that maybe he wasn't necessarily hinting that you might be the One?" she asked Bree curiously. When Bree didn't answer her, she continued. "That much power in one human being doesn't just disappear when the person does. Where do you think it all goes?" Bree thought about it for a second, and then shook her head.

"I don't know," she said simply.

"It transfers to another human being, preferably someone similar to the original holder of the power. Do you seeing where I'm going?"

"Yes, I do, but-"

"No buts. That's just the way things are. Now, I know you don't want to believe it because you don't want to think there was anyone as powerful as Neo, but if you want to save your friends then you're going to have to." An oven timer beeped a few moments later. The old woman stood up from her chair.

"Now, I have other things to do," she said to Bree, who stood up as well.

"Thank you for your help," Bree said, and then she quickly left the kitchen. The Oracle smiled after her.

"She'll do just fine," she said aloud as she pulled the next batch of cookies from the oven.

The living room was deserted when Bree stepped back through the doorway. The television was still on, but there was no one watching it now, not even the little boy. When she didn't immediately see Tron, Bree began to panic a little bit. Her heart began beating faster as adrenaline was pumped throughout her body and her skin began to tingle with nervous energy. Just before she was about to completely freak out, Tron stepped out of the bathroom on the right. Brees relief was apparent.

"Don't do that," she told him breathlessly without an explanation, and then she turned and walked out the door the gold plate reading 688 on it. Tron hurriedly followed behind her.

"So what did she tell you?" he asked as he shut the door behind them. Bree was already heading for the stairs. Tron had to run to catch up.

"Wait," she told him cryptically.

The two of them were down the stairs, out the front door and walking briskly down the sidewalk again before Bree at least stopped. She looked around to see if anyone was watching them then grabbed onto Tron, who was catching his breath, and dragged him into an alley. She let go of him and began fumbling with the things at her belt.

"Bree what's going on?" he asked cautiously. Bree didn't answer them. She simply grabbed a gun that was attached to her built and checked to see of it was loaded. This seemed to make Tron feel even more wary. When she was sure it had bullets in it she tossed to him. He just barely caught it.

"Now stay here," she said as she walked further down the alley. Stopping several yards away from him she turned around, her expression completely blank.

"Shoot at me," she told him plainly.

"What?" he shouted.

"Shoot a bullet at me." Her face showed nothing but seriousness.

"Bree I'm not going to shoot at you." With an exasperated sigh, Bree took another gun from her hip, held it up, and pointed it at Tron.

"Do it or I'll be the one shooting, and you know I don't want to do that." She watched as Trons eyes widened and he looked both betrayed and frightened. She, of course, would never actually shoot him, but it was the only way she could think of to get him to do what she asked.

"Ok," Tron finally said uncertainly. He lifted to gun up and aimed at Bree. She focused her grey eyes on the muzzle of the gun pointed at her, concentrating on what was going to happen.

With a wince Tron pulled the trigger and a bullet came flying out of the barrel. Bree held up her hand, amazed yet comfortable with the remarkable speed it moved at. Just inches before it would have come in contact with her palm, the bullet froze in mid-air. She stared at it in a dazed stupor for what seemed like hours. Then she let her hand drop back to her side. The bullet fell from the atmosphere and hit the ground with a metallic clink. Bree took several deep breaths and stared at it, letting her brain process this evidence of what the Oracle had said. When it all became clear, she broke into a large smile and looked up at Tron who was gaping at her.

"Thank you," she said, walking back up to him and taking the gun from his hands. His mouth still hung open. He nodded and then followed her out of the alley.

As Bree led Tron further down their path to rescuing Ace, Circuit, and everyone else, she allowed herself to think about what the Oracle had said. Had she really thought that by thinking she now carried the same powers as Neo, he would lose his importance to her? She hoped not, because it would mean that his powers had overridden his other qualities in her mind. But, it was not time to dwell on this. She was the One, she had the power. It was time to, in a manner of speaking, fulfill her new destiny.


	9. The Program

Links was stressed out. He was sitting at _The Neo_'s operating station, looking meticulously over the glowing codes. He was having a difficult time lifting the cover-up program, but he had expected as much. Besides, he wasn't sure he wanted to know what was going on. He looked over at the four still forms before him, his face grim. All of their vital signs were still stable, but he could tell many of them had been wounded. Things were looking very grim at the moment.

After Bree had terminated the radio connection between the ships, Link had contacted Zion as she requested. He had tried not to worry about what she was doing now. One of the tech assistants had answered him. Link asked to talk to Morpheus and had been told to wait a moment. It had been the longest moment in his entire life. In the time he had waited his mind had unwillingly begun to think about what was happening to all the crew members that were now the prisoners of the agents. What were Smith and the others doing to them? Thankfully, his brain hadn't had to come up with an answer just then, because Councilor Hammand came on the other end of the radio connection.

"Link?" he said, "This is Councilor Hammand."

"Councilor Hammand?" Link replied confused, "Sir, I'm just looking for Morpheus. There is a pressing matter that I need to discuss with him."

"Yes, I was in Morpheus' office when young Bick called. When I he told me who was looking for Morpheus, I put two-and-two together and figured that something was wrong."

"Councilor, some of the crew here and some of the crew on the _Nostradamus_ have been captured within the Matrix, and now Bree has gone in to try and save them. I need to talk to Morpheus about what we need to do now." Link suddenly felt like breaking down and letting a few tears fall. This was all reminding him too much of the warring years, and the thought of all of the others being tortured by Smith was not pleasant.

"Morpheus is not here, Link. He went into the Matrix about an hour ago when an urgent message came to him."

"What kind of urgent message, sir?" Link stomach was somersaulting uncomfortably.

"Ace sent him a radio transmission about an hour ago calling for help. Apparently he was unable to contact you. Morpheus went in to do just that, but we lost contact with him within twenty minutes."

Links disconnected the transmission between him and Councilor Hammand, not feeling capable of speaking anymore. Then he leaned against the wall, closing his eyes, in hopes this was all a dream and if he tried hard enough he would wake up, but when he reopened his eyes he was still standing by the radio, and his crew was still in mortal peril. With an agonized sigh, Link had drifted back to his chair. He sat there for a long time, not really seeing the screen in front of him. Then, his mind slowly began to think about things again, and he thought of Bree, knowing that she was in the Matrix intending to rescue everybody, and he suddenly began typing furiously on the keyboard. He had to lift this damned cover-up program.

It had been completely silent between Bree and Tron since they had left the alleyway. Neither of them had spoken a word or even looked in the other's direction. They had simply continued walking west. They were now about a mile away from the warehouse which they were heading to. Bree didn't know why, but she could feel hoe close they were getting. It seemed that since she had now accepted her new abilities more seemed to be popping up. Or maybe it was just her connection with some of the people being held hostage.

"Bree?" Tron finally said tentatively. Bree stopped and turned around on the sidewalk to look at him.

"Yes?" she said plainly.

"You stopped a bullet," he told her matter-of-factly, "In mid-air, with your hand." His tone suggested he had been thinking about this some time, and had only just figured it out.

"Yes, I did."

"How?" His innocence and sincere confusion made Bree seriously regret her decision to let him come with her. He was young, too young to have been ready for this. However, she also understood the mind-numbing effect this could all have on somebody. She sighed

"Tron, you've been unplugged what, six months now?" she asked him.

"Yeah," he replied slowly.

"And even though you obviously know _who_ Neo is, I'm willing to bet you don't know the entire story about him, do you?"

"No." She could tell he was entirely baffled by this sudden change of conversation, but he was not going to object.

"Well let me tell you," Bree said softly. She led him over to a small bench that served as a bus stop and sat down. After a moment's hesitation Tron sat down beside her. It was another moment before she actually began.

"You know, Morpheus actually thought I was the One," she said, smiling at Trons look of comical surprise, "It was why I was initially unplugged. I was only fifteen, and I completely freaked out when I was told I had been living in a dream world. After I calmed down, Morpheus took me to see the Oracle. You know what she told me?"

Tron shook his head.

"She told me that I wasn't the One, but that when the One was finally found I would recognize him or her from my life in the Matrix. So, I stayed with Morpheus and the rest of the _Nebuchadnezzar_'s crew, and they became like the family I never had. After a while, I almost forgot about what the Oracle told me. And then Neo came. I didn't know whether or not to believe Morpheus that he was the One, that we had finally found him, until I saw him. Right then, I believed Morpheus, because when I saw Neo, I realized I was looking at the only other person that had ever cared for me. In the Matrix, I guess he was my brother, and he had cared for me until I ran away and was finally unplugged.

"I don't know why I didn't tell anyone that I knew he was the One because of what the Oracle told me. It was probably because by speaking it out loud I would jinx it or something and he would turn out not to be the One and all that hope would have been for nothing. Then the day came when he fulfilled his destiny and stepped into his role, and I was able to tell everyone. From that day forward we were so close, we were like siblings again. It was the best feeling in the world.

"Now comes the part I think you've heard. The day he saved the real world from the machines. Boy, I will never forget that day. Just all of the emotions everyone went through, it was draining. When those machines retreated, for a moment I don't think any of us really knew what to do. Then Ace went running through the crowd screaming to everyone that Neo had done, that he had saved us all. Not really understanding what that meant at that time I went running with him, pure glee and adrenaline coursing through my body. When I finally realized that the ending of the war had meant Neos destruction, I was devastated, and finding Trinity's body on the _Logos_ just made it worse." She finally took a pause and turned her head to look at Tron, whose rapt attention brought another smile to her face.

"The reason I can stop bullets and how my hand moved at such a great speed, is because when his body was destroyed all of his power had to go somewhere. It was too great to just disappear into thin air. The Oracle told me that I now have that power, because I was the closest thing Neo had to family. I didn't ask for it, and I'm not sure whether or not I even want it, but the fact is that I have it. And now, I am going to use it to get those I care about most back to me safely." With another sigh she finished, and there was silence once more between them. It was broken quickly, however, by a clapping sound. Both Bree and Tron turned around quickly, startled by the noise.

"Neo!" Bree cried immediately. Her heart leapt as she saw him, all thoughts of Ace and the others and their predicament forgotten. Once again she was looking upon the face of the person whom she had loved the most in her life. She ran to him, ready to throw her arms around him, but he backed away, hands up as though warding something off.

"Don't, please," he said regretfully.

"Neo, what's wrong?" Bree asked him, thoroughly confused. Neo sighed.

"I'm not Neo," he said, taking off his sunglasses, "I'm a program, made by the machines. Made to lure you into the Matrix, to think you could save your friends."

Brees mind was in a spin. It seemed as though everything had been erased from her mind and she was suddenly all alone within the dark depths of her own thoughts. He wasn't Neo? He was just a program. She felt numb all over, and she suddenly felt very faint. Tron was beside her in a moment, placing both hands on her shoulders to keep her steady. A look over at him told her that he was glaring heavily at the program Neo, a look of deep hatred on his face.

"I'm OK, Tron," Bree said, brushing his hands off gently. She still felt a little shaky, but her legs were remaining as still as she expected them too. Tron did not seem so sure of her statement. She gave him a wan smile, and held up a hand, reassuring him that she was fine. Then she turned to Neo, or the program she had thought was Neo.

"I'm so sorry," the programmed figure said, "I wish I could take back what I did, but I can't."

"Of course you can't," Bree said briskly, "You're a program. You're only meant to do what you're told to do. Which leads me to ask you why you are here telling me you're a program, when your job was to lure me here?" It seemed a strange thing to ask with all the emotion she was feeling right now. She was surprised she hadn't thrown up yet. Neo also appeared surprised, but Bree was sure it wasn't by that particular fact.

"Well," he said slowly, "To be honest, I'm coming clean because I'm scheduled to be terminated. They don't need me anymore now that you're here. You haven't tried since you first entered, but you can't contact your ship anymore. The one you named after…well, the one I was created to imitate." He seemed deeply embarrassed to have almost taken credit as _The Neo_'s namesake.

"I was reassigned after our last encounter," Bree told her, surprised out how easy it came out, "Ace didn't want me coming back into the Matrix after he found out I was…not well." For a moment Bree wondered to herself why she couldn't say that she was pregnant out loud, but she knew it had nothing to do with who she was around. Perhaps it was because she didn't want to realize how much danger she was putting the precious fetus in by doing this.

"I met him last time didn't I? Ace?" Bree nodded, almost smiling.

"Yes, yes you did. I suppose some kind of imprint of Neos memory must have been floating around because you remembered him." Strangely, she was finding all of her anger and other discomforting feelings dissipating. She was at a loss to explain this phenomenon, but she did not resist it.

"So," she said, drawing in a deep breath, "I'm going to take a wild guess and say that you didn't come to find me just to tell me you were a program." As always, Bree was highly intuitive, and very impatient. She was becoming ever more aware of the time they had wasted discussing this matter. Neo, the program, looked quite stunned she had picked up on it.

"Well, yes," he finally said, "I know why you're here, and I want to help." At this, Tron took a firm step forward.

"We don't need the help of a liar," he growled at the other man. Bree held out an arm, preventing Tron from getting any closer to Neo. She forced him back and held his gaze a long time, until he relaxed and resigned to stay in his place.

"How do you think you could help us?" she asked the program as she turned to look at him again. To make Tron feel better she slipped some skepticism into her tone, but in the far reaches of her mind she had already resolved to accept his offer.

"Have you thought of how you're going to enter the warehouse without being detected when you got there?" Neo, the program, asked. Dumb-founded, suddenly, Bree turned to Tron, a similar look on his own face. They hadn't really discussed what they were planning on doing.

"Not at all," Bree finally said, still puzzling over how she had missed thinking about that.

"Well, I have, because since I was notified of my termination I have been planning on revenge. I was hoping for a long life as a program, but I guess the machines had other plans. Also, I think they programmed me too well." He smiled at her.

"What do you mean?" she asked curiously.

"When I first met you, I found myself suddenly enveloped in a feeling I don't think programs are meant to feel. Sure, we have feelings, they're just part of the technology, but I felt _connected_ to you. I think that's how I recognized Ace and remembered the last thing I, er, He told you tell him. It was like, well like I really was…Neo." He seemed prepared for a reprimand or something else. Bree realized Tron was advancing on him again, and she thought that maybe her story had had an effect on him she hadn't expected. At any rate, she held out her arm once more and forced him back.

"Tron, would you just cut it out?" she said to him exasperated.

"But Bree, he's just trying to manipulate us!" Tron exclaimed, "He could have just overheard your story and repeated the part about the 'connection!'"

"You think I haven't thought of that," Bree yelled back, for a moment dipping into a dark part of her where her short-temper always lied in wait for her to unleash it, "Do you think I'm stupid?" This seemed to silence him, and he shook his head, not meeting her eyes. She felt bad about yelling, but it was just part of life, so she didn't bother apologizing.

"He is right though," she said as she turned back to Neo, the program, "You could have just overheard what I was saying." Before Neo, the program, could say anything in his defense, Bree continued.

"However, I do have one thing that can prove your story true. The machines would have either found it too tedious or it was just not in the collection of memories they acquired from him." Everyone was silent as she rummaged around in the pocket of her jacket, for a trinket that she carried everywhere with her in the real world, so her mind put it in her pocket when she entered the Matrix. After a moment, she extracted her hand and held out a spoon. It was rusty and well worn, but most definitely a spoon. Tron looked utterly baffled, while Neo, the program, looked simply perplexed.

"What is this?" Bree asked Neo, holding the spoon out so he could take it. He turned it over in his hands, examining it. Suddenly, he grinned.

"An orphan gave it to me," he explained slowly, Bree breaking out into a grin herself, "He taught me how to bend it. He said 'Try and remember that the spoon isn't really there.'" There was a moment's pause as he focused on the spoon, and slowly the head of it bent backwards, then sideways, before righting itself again. Bree couldn't help herself this time. She ran forward and threw her arms around him. She didn't care whether or not he was a program. This was as close to Neo as she was going to get.

"Tron," Bree said as she stepped back, "I expect you to be satisfied. No more accusations." Tron nodded, looking in quite a stupor about what had just happened. Bree chuckled a bit and grinned broadly. Things were looking up now, and she was generally cheered up by the circumstances.

"Ok," she said, looking back and forth between the two men, "We need to get going. There's no telling what Smith is doing to everybody. No more wasting time." Her voice was all serious now. She nodded to Neo to lead the way now, and with a tug on Trons sleeve he followed her.

Smith was growing very weary now. He had been at this for a very long time and the little brat had yet to divulge the information he wanted. He had drawn up a chair before the boy called, Circuit, and was slowly massaging his temple. The computer programmer was proving to be stronger than he had guessed, and that was making him very angry. He had already ordered one of the captives to be shot, but that had only seemed to further his determination not to speak. The agent was running out of ideas.

"Sir?" said a voice behind him, and a jab of artificial pain shot through Smith's head. He turned his cranium to look at the other agent standing there.

"Yes?" he asked menacingly.

"Sir, we've captured another lurking outside." Smith was suddenly very alert and he stood up in a hurry.

"Who is it?" he demanded. The agent turned to the door at the back of the warehouse and nodded his head. An agent entered the warehouse, several others flanking him, as he escorted the new prisoner inside.

"Morpheus!" Circuit shouted, speaking for the first time, Smith thought, in about a half an hour. Smith, however, had forgotten about the boy for the time being and was smiling evilly.

"Put him with the others," he ordered the agent, who nodded and threw Morpheus roughly to the ground in compliance. The man hit the ground hard, adding insult to his growing number of injuries.

"Now," Smith said, turning around with a renewed vigor to Circuit, "Where were we?" He resumed his questioning of how to hack into the system, trying tactic after tactic to weaken the boy.

Meanwhile, in the corner, Ace crawled up to Morpheus. With an effort he managed to lean his back against the wall. Both of his eyes were black and blue, one of them had swollen shut, and his lower lip was bulbous and red. He looked to Morpheus, attempting a smile, but it quickly turned into a wince at the pain in his jaw. Morpheus looked at him in concern, but then quickly looked to the body of Tick that had been left in the middle of the group. Ace did too, then sighed and shook his head.

The two continued on this way for a few minutes, trying hard to communicate without speaking aloud to each other. Ace was not keen to receive another kick, and he was sure Morpheus was not eager to join the others and gather some incapacitating wounds himself. They just had to bide their time, and hope that Circuit held out just a little longer. If he gave away the secret to hacking into the real world's system, then they were all doomed, and Zion would cease to grow, slowly falling to destruction. It was all up to Circuit now.


	10. When?

Gaia was getting worried. Her fingers kept twitching on the keyboard as she continued to follow Bree and Tron went through the Matrix. She had lost track of time since they had jacked in after the others. Skip was still on the ship with her, but even so, Gaia felt utterly alone. She kept catching herself glancing at the five silent figures lying motionlessly in the chairs. All the seats were occupied now. No one else from the _Nostradamus_ could go in to help.

Bree had called only once to ask for directions, and then all communications had ceased. Gaia knew that the reason wasn't that Bree was to busy to call. Gaia had tried to call several times, but with none resulting in contact. All she got was static. She didn't know for a fact, but she figured that as soon as Bree and Tron had entered the Matrix, she had unknowingly lost contact with them. She had also lost communication with any other ships by use of the radio Bree had used earlier, but that had happened only a little bit ago.

After he had called on Zion, Link had been in a daze, and Gaia could tell when he had contacted her, but she didn't see any point in mentioning it. She remembered that her hand was shaking as she initiated the connection between the two vessels. His voice seemed just as unstable as her hand as he told her about Morpheus. He obviously was alone and frantic. Gaia felt a hard pang of sympathy for him.

"I don't know what else we can do," he told her, trying to sound as though he was not completely devastated. Gaia did not tell him that it wasn't working.

"There has to be something," Gaia said, trying to find some kind of way that they could help.

"There's nothing. Nothing at all." Gaia could not see it, but Link had his eyes closed, as though hoping her were dreaming. "We can't get in touch with any of them, and Morpheus was our only hope."

"What about Bree?" Gaias voice gave of a slightly defensive tone. "She and Tron are still in there and we have no indication that they've been captured. They still have a chance."

"I didn't mean…" His voice trailed off. He seemed to feel embarrassed about what he had said. "I just don't see how they can-" Suddenly, his voice was cut off and there was only static coming on Gaias end. She stared at the radio, wild-eyed, like it was a predator and she the prey.

"Link?" she said, her voice just above a whisper, but she knew no voice would reply on the other end. She ended the transmission and wandered back to the operating station where she sat down and went back to work on watching Bree and Tron. If only she could be sure that they would not be caught, then her hope would be restored, and she could feel a little more at ease.

"Is there any change?" a voice asked behind Gaia as she worked. She didn't have to turn around to know it was Skip. He was the only one left besides herself.

"No," she said colorlessly.

"Is there still hope?" Gaia did not answer for a moment or two, leaving the two in silence.

"Yes."

The afternoon was getting older, while the atmosphere grew more humid by the minute. Sunlight shone down in brutal waves upon the city, baking the sidewalks and the streets. Many people had taken to staying insides where relief came from many fans and air-conditioning systems. Those who had to stay outside, or simply were part of the vast majority who could afford neither, were sluggishly moving this way and that way, drenched in their own sweat, and wearing as little clothing as possible without qualifying for indecent exposure.

Only three figures seemed undaunted by the muggy air and scorching temperatures. Their black clothing made them stick out like three sore thumbs in the heat-stroked crowd. They wore dark sunglasses that shaded their eyes from view, and were walking at a quick determined pace. The one walking in lead of the other two was a man, behind him, keeping up well, was a woman, her shadowy hair flowing out behind her. Bringing up the rear, having difficulty matching the strides of the others, was a man, much younger then the first. All three moved with a purpose, a destination set in their minds, invisible to everyone else.

"Bree?" the younger man said, coming to a halt on the sidewalk. The other two stopped, the woman turning to look at him.

"Yes, Tron?" Bree replied pleasantly. Tron paused a moment before speaking, glancing at the other man while doing so.

"Can I talk to you a minute?" he asked. Bree reached up and slid the sunglasses from her eyes, her face adorned with a pondering expression. She gazed at Tron a while, considering his question. After a minute, she glanced backwards at the other man nodded. He returned the gesture and walked a little further along, leaving the other two to talk.

"What is it Tron?" Bree asked once Neo was out of earshot. She already had a guess, but she would hear Tron out.

"Are you sure we can trust him?" he said, jerking his head in the program's direction.

"Do we have a choice? He was right back there when he said we didn't have a plan for after we reached the warehouse."

"I know, but-"

"Do you really think," she interrupted him, her voice suddenly very stern, "that I am really that gullible. Don't you think I understand that there is a chance he is still working for the machines and that he's leading us into a trap?" Tron cringed away from her raised tone.

"I didn't mean-" he began.

"He's not Neo, I know that too," she said with a sigh. She had now lowered her voice, looking into Trons face. She saw many emotions there, and placed a hand upon his shoulder, "But we have to trust him. At least up until the point that he betrays that trust. OK?"

For a moment, they both merely stood and stared at each other. Bree suddenly realized that as much as she had fought against it, she had bonded with one of her new crewmates. Tron had become a part of her unorthodox family, her very own little brother, related to her only by the strong feelings she felt now. She would die for him, and he for her. A chuckle escaped her as she thought of how opposed she had, at first, been to changing ships.

"What's so funny?" Tron asked. Bree shook her head, and just threw an arm around his shoulders. Together they walked back to where Neo stood, waiting for them.

"Everything all right?" he asked as they came near enough to hear him.

"Yes," Bree answered, nodding her head, "Everything's fine."

"Good, because we're here."

They had reached the peak of the sidewalk, and now looked down a long slope. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but all three of them stared directly at a grey sheet metal warehouse, its roof a faded shade of red. They all seemed to sense something sinister was in that building, just waiting for them to enter.

Within the silver metal walls of the warehouse, unknown to the three outside, Circuit was beginning to break. His mind had begun to slip through the barrier between reality and the world beyond. Cyprus's body had joined Tick's in the corner where the agents had finally dragged him. Smith had had him shot just minutes ago, but Circuit barely heard the gunshot. All of his energy was being used to keep him from letting slip the secret of hacking into Zion's system. The only thing he could still comprehend was that his friends wanted him to stay strong, so stay strong he would.

Smith could see the weakness starting to stretch across the boy's face, and smiled a sadistic smile of satisfaction. Finally, he was getting somewhere, after many hours of questioning, and after shooting two of their captives. He had not yet gotten the information he wanted, but the spent time had not been useless. He had learned several interesting facts, but one stood out among the others. Smith had wondered why the girl, Bree, he remembered, was her name, had not been with the others they had taken prisoner. The boy had let slip that she was with child, and not allowed to enter the Matrix, but Smith seemed to know her better then this insolent fools. She would come. She would try to rescue these pathetic beings.

"Now, Circuit," he said, resuming his task, "What is your relationship to Bree? How would you say she feels about you?" It took Circuit a moment to even process the question, and even longer to create an answer.

"She," he began, but then paused another long moment, during which Smith's impatience grew, "She believed in me." That was all he would say, his voice now a slurred monotone.

"Who would you say she cares about the most?" The agent smiled as he thought about the numerous possibilities if the person was one of the remaining captives who were still breathing. However, Circuit did not get a chance to answer.

"Stop it!" shouted Ace from the back wall, his voice a strained rasp. One of the agents surrounding him reared back his leg, aiming for his gut.

"Don't," Smith said bluntly, staring directly at Ace. The other agent looked at him with confusion then backed away.

Smith left his place in front of Circuit and walked over to the group of people congregated at the back of the warehouse. Ace squirmed back up into a sitting position. He tried to hold eye contact with Smith, but he could only open one of his eyes and he had to keep closing because blood from a gash on his forehead kept dripping into it. For once, Ace did not look the part of a strong captain.

"Now, why are you always the one to speak up, hm?" asked Smith as he got close to Ace and squatted down so he was at the same eye level as the bruised and bleeding man. Ace didn't answer him. He just stared as best he could at the agent and remained silent.

"You know, I've known Bree a _long_ time," Smith said conversationally, "Possibly even longer then you've known her. I remember the first time I saw her, the first time we really looked at each other and understood the role we both played in this world. Can you say the same? Have you ever looked at her, and really understood the power that she possesses? No, all you ever saw was a pretty face."

"You shut up-!" Ace cried, and he was immediately slapped in the face. Smith retracted his hand, still holding it in a ready position, as though daring the man to say something else.

"Sir?" said another voice. Smith's face showed no emotion as he returned his hand to its normal position and turned away, leaving Ace lying motionlessly on the cement floor, breathing raggedly.

"What now?" Smith asked sharply.

"The girl is approaching, and she has two companions with her. They're not five minutes away now." Smith's lips turned up in spine-chilling smile.

"Perfect."

While Smith was punishing Ace for his outburst, Bree, Tron, and the program Neo, were cautiously approaching the warehouse. From what Bree could judge it was quite large, secluded off to the side behind an alleyway, far away from the bustling heart of the city. None of the three said a word. They were too close now to risk detection. Brees heart was pounding hard in her chest, Tron was beginning to sweat profusely, and even Neo, the program, looked nervously pale.

They slipped into the dark passage leading away from the street unnoticed. Their feet made the softest sounds as they treaded over dirt, garbage, and feline feces. Bree was walking closely behind Neo, with Tron trailing dutifully behind her. They were all letting their senses guide them instead of their minds. In times of danger, the mind can become overwhelmed, sometimes taking to long to analyze a situation, and before you know it your down on the ground dead.

Soon, the large wall of the warehouse was in front of them, the three crouching behind a chain link fence. Bree looked around, letting her grey eyes take in their surroundings. There were a few other people, working forklifts and such, but none of them seemed to come close to the warehouse that was the breeding point of much pain and anguish. Bree could feel the others inside; could feel Ace among them, his hope hanging on by a thread, and for a moment she thought she was going to cry. Instead she threw up.

"You OK?" Neo asked when she was finished. Bree coughed, spit out a bit more bile, and then nodded wearily. Neo nodded back, looked around quickly, and then motioned for them to follow as he moved around the fence. He pressed his body against the warehouse wall, and stared hard at the two other humans.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, looking directly at Bree. She offered him up a small smile.

"You don't have to keep saying that," she said, "It's not your fault you're a-"

"Bree!" Tron shouted from behind her. She whipped around in time to Tron on his knees. An agent stood over him with a gun pressed to the back of his head.

"Remove you're weapons, or say goodbye to your little friend," said the agent.

Bree glanced over to Neo, the program, who was pointedly avoiding looking at her. She did not look betrayed as she felt, though her eyes shone bright with the emotion. She still pitied him. He had had no choice but to lead them into this trap, she could see it in his eyes. Instead, she felt disgusted with herself. She should have kept her guard up more then she had. Tron had been right; she could not really trust the program. He was not Neo, not the person who had played the biggest part in her life. She looked back at the agent, and began removing the guns from her belt and within her coat.

"Follow me," the agent said when she had finished. He yanked Tron to his feet, and made him walk in the front, continuing to point the gun at him. Three other agents surrounded Bree and led her behind them. After a moment, Neo, the program, followed.

It had been two hours since Bree had entered the Matrix, and longer still since Smith had captured the crewmembers of both _The Neo_, and the _Nostradamus_, and every minute of that time, Bree had thought about what Smith could be doing to them. She thought of the various forms of torture he was capable of. However, with all the time she had spent imagining about it, she was not at all prepared for what she saw.

Circuit still sat in the chair, his head slumped forward as thought he were dead, but Bree could just hear him mumbling incoherently under his breath. Everyone else was piled at the back of the building, bloodied and bruised. Lock appeared to be unconscious, and Zane looked like he was having trouble breathing. For a long moment Brees gaze lingered upon the bodies of Tick and Cyprus, before finally landing upon Ace and Morpheus.

"Ace!" she cried out loud and made to run for him, momentarily forgetting about the agents around her. One of them reached out a hand and grabbed her, thrusting her backwards onto the hard floor. She hit it with a hard thud on her side, and her face quickly contorted into a wince, but in her mind she was grateful to have landed on her rear end instead of her stomach.

"Well, what a pleasant surprise," Smith said as he stepped into the dim light of the hangings lamps dangling from the ceiling.

Bree was also not ready for this. The only time she had ever really seen Smith face-to-face, was for a brief moment while she, Neo, and Morpheus were trying to find their way to the Architect. He had appeared before Neo could get to the door, and spoken momentarily before more agents had poured form the other doors in the hallway. That had been the last time she had ever seen him, until now. Her entire body seemed to become lifeless; her blood seemed to freeze in her veins. In essence, this had been the man who had taken Neo from her.

"You son-of-a-bitch!" she growled through gritted teeth. Bree pushed herself off the ground and made to lunge at the grinning agent, but she was suddenly forced back by a hard punch from one of the other agents. She stayed on the ground, wiping her fingers across her bottom lip, and examining the crimson blood that stained them when she did.

"I think it would be in your best interest _not_ to attack me," said Smith pleasantly. Movement to her left made her look to the back wall again where her close friends lay in a heap. One of the other agents was escorting Tron over to them, the gun still being held to his head. "We wouldn't want one of them to have an accident."

"What do you want?" Bree asked him scathingly.

"You know very well what I want." Smith's smile had evaporated now, leaving his face frighteningly blank.

"And you know I don't have the information you want, so why lure me into the Matrix?"

"The boy has proven more difficult then I had anticipated," he said, indicating Circuit, "I need you to get him to tell me, otherwise, you all die." He said this last part with a tone that Bree could only describe later excitement.

Bree looked over at the limp figure that was Circuit, mind and spirit all but broken. Then she looked over to the other crewmembers, in too much pain to say anything anymore. She could see Ace trying to look at her, but one of his eyes was puffy and red, while the other was covered in drying blood. She looked the bodies of the two men Smith had eradicated from the world, and finally she gazed at the program that had the largest hand in what was happening. She suddenly realized it had not been Smith who had lured her in, she had lured herself in. She had just wanted to look into a replica of the face she had once loved so much one more time.

"I'll do it, under one condition," she said, slowly looking back to the agent.

"Let me guess," Smith said jadedly, "You want everyone to walk out of here safely?"

"I don't want him terminated," she stated unwaveringly, nodding her head towards the program, who raised his head and looked at her in confusion. Smith, too, seemed confused and surprised. He quickly regained composure.

"Done," he said simply.

Bree methodically rose to her feet again, feeling every bruise caused by her collision with the solid floor. Her lower lip throbbed painfully, but she ignored all of it and walked sluggishly over to where Circuit sat. It pained her even more than any physical damage she had ever sustained to see him in the state he was in. She knelt down before him, placing both hands on his knees, her grey eyes shining with compassion and concern.

"Circuit?" she said softly, "Circuit, wake up, it's Bree." His eyes fluttered open, and he lifted his head enough to stare at her through half-open eyes, but he said nothing.

"Circuit," she repeated, her voice faltering slightly, "I need you to tell me how to hack into the system from the Matrix." She was very aware of all the eyes upon her. Everyone in the room seemed to be watching her as she coaxed out the information from Circuit's mind. She tried hard not to think about Ace, Tron, and all the others.

Circuit mumbled something inaudible.

"What did you say?" she asked gently. Circuit's eyes had closed back up, but he opened them just enough to see when she spoke.

"Shift change," he murmured, his head rolling over and resting upon his left shoulder.

"What does that mean?" Smith demanded.

"I think he's talking about the shift change in the main control building in Zion," Bree told him, never taking her eyes off of Circuit, "What about the shift change, Circuit?"

"No one there," he said, his voice barely above a whisper, "You can't get in while people are there." He fell silent again, the effort of these sentences seeming to take all of his energy.

"What is he saying?" Smith asked curtly.

"He says that-" Bree began.

"You have to wait until the next shift change," Circuit said, looking more conscious then he had in a while. He was looking directly into Bree's face, and she looked back.

"When?" she asked, "Circuit, when is the next shift change."

"Fifteen minutes," he mumbled, and then he fell back out of the conscious world. Bree let her hands slide off of his knees and stood back up. Before she could do anything else she was seized from behind, two agents grabbing her arms and half-dragged her over to the back wall and threw down with the others.

"Thank you very much," Smith said as he followed them, "You've been a big help." Bree stared at him with all the contempt she could muster, not looking away until he turned his back and began ordering the other agents around, one of them sitting at a computer, waiting.

"Bree, what are you thinking?" Tron whispered to her angrily. She hated hearing that tone in his voice, but she had done what she had to do.

"I know what I'm doing," she said, looking at him expressionlessly, "Remember what I said about trusting me?" This didn't seem to make Tron feel any better, but it appeared to intrigue him into silence.

Bree's attention, however, had shifted over to Ace, who was lying just a few feet away from her. Keeping her eye on the agents who surrounded them she crawled slowly over to him, reaching out a hand and stroking his short dark hair. She took a dirty rage from her pocket and wiped the blood from his good eye so he could look at her.

"What are you doing here?" he asked her, his voice no more then a rasp now.

"I had to come," she whispered, her voice cracking with emotion as she stared at his battered face, "You knew I would."

"It's my fault," he said with difficulty, "I'm supposed to be the captain, and I led everyone into danger, including you."

"No," Bree told his sharply, resting her hand upon one of his bruised cheeks, "It is not your fault. You did all you could. I chose to come here. I knew the risk. Besides, you're a great captain." The comment was so sincere, that it surprised Bree for a moment. She had never thought those words could ever come out of her mouth without sounding forced.

"Hey!" cried a voice that shook Bree out of her shock, "What are you doing?"

Several agents were advancing on Neo, the program. He had taken off his sunglasses and Bree could see the genuine fear in his brown eyes. It was the look of an animal when they know they're about to die. Bree watched in puzzlement before suddenly realizing what was happening. She jumped up, leaving Ace's side.

"You promised he wouldn't be terminated!" she screamed as she tried to run to the program and was restrained by other agents.

"Didn't the _real_ Neo ever teach you anything," Smith said, turning towards her, "I can't be trusted." There seemed to be something like laughter in his voice.

Bree stared on in horror as the agents closed in on Neo, the program. They had him boxed into a corner now, and she closed her eyes instinctively so she wouldn't have to see such a precise replica of someone she loved erased from the Matrix forever. But, there was suddenly a large flash of light, and though Bree quickly reopened her eyes, it was a few minutes before she could see anything clearly, and what she saw seemed to send her brain into a momentary stupor.

Neo was fighting back. He arms and legs were moving at such a speed that Bree's eyes could not keep up. Her lips crept into a smirk and she expertly twisted herself from the agents' grasp, and copied Neo's move. She spun around, kicking and throwing punches as though her body had been set on turbo. There had only been a few agents on her, and she soon freed herself of them. As they tried to get back up, Bree ran swiftly across the room to help Neo. She grabbed an agent that was trying to choke him by the shoulders and threw him off with ease. Together, she and Neo fought tooth-and-nail to keep the agents back. More agents that were in the warehouse rushed to help them. Bree chanced a glance at her watch that was still intact on her wrist, and grinned. The fifteen minutes was almost up. Smith knew it too.

"What are you doing?" he shouted at the other agents, "It's almost time for the shift change! We have to hack into their system!" None of the other agents seemed to hear them. Bree and Neo were very efficiently keeping them from following orders.

In a fit of rage Smith made to join the battle, but then his eyes caught the clock in the corner of the computer screen. Just one minute to go. Roaring with anger he sat down at the computer and typed hurriedly on the keyboard, keeping his eyes on the fight. He thought the machines had reprogrammed the imposter Neo to not move so fast. Perhaps they had forgotten. But did the machines forget things? He couldn't answer the question now as the clock finally counted down to zero. He opened up the back door into Zion's main computer and then brought up the virus file. With a satisfied grin he let the bug loose into the system. He leaned back to watch it wreak havoc, his hand still on the mouse.

All of a sudden, the screen went pitch black, and then began to fill up with the words IT WAS INEVITABLE. Smith leaned forward, his brows furrowing, his fury growing. Those pathetic humans had tricked him. Well, they would pay for that. He got up so quickly that the chair he had been sitting in toppled over backwards, and made to move towards the ongoing fight. However, something pulled him back. He looked down to see the mouse melting into his hand. He tugged his arm hard but it would budge, and his hand was slowly turning silver. What appeared to be liquid metal was creeping up his arm, covering every inch of it as it went. He let out a shout of furious horror.

The battle raging in the corner came to a halt as all the agents turned to watch as their leader was blanketed by the silvery substance. Bree and Neo stood side-by-side, watching solemnly along with the rest. It wasn't long before Smith was completely obscured, and his screaming ceased. In a flash, the liquid silver was sucked back in through the mouse wire, and Agent Smith was gone forever. A moment later the other agents collapsed to the ground, limp and lifeless. Letting out a heavy sigh, Bree slid to the ground and sat with her knees up and her head resting upon her arms, trying to catch her breath. Then, she started to chuckle, and looked up at Neo.

"Nice performance," she said, still laughing. She held up her arm to him.

"Yeah, you too," he said mirthfully as he helped her up. Suddenly remembering the other crewmembers, Bree hurried over to where they were and knelt down beside Morpheus and Ace to undo their bonds. Neo did the same thing to Lock, Zane, and Magnet. Tron was staring at everything, stunned.

"What just happened?" he asked as Bree helped Ace to sit up.

"I told you to trust me," she said with a smirk, "Do you really think I would have completely trusted Neo if I thought he was a program made by the same machines who brought Smith back?"

"But he-"

"Did exactly what he had to do to pull off the plan," she finished for him, "He's been the real Neo all along, at least the mental imprint of the real Neo, but he definitely had the agents fooled. Do you really think they communicate with the machines? No, the machines just monitor their programs. They would have had no idea that their agents thought they had sent them a Neo program to fool me."

"Why didn't you tell me that then?" Tron asked, slightly hurt.

"Would you have believed me?" Tron looked at the ground.

"Exactly. Though if Mr. Genius over there," she nodded towards Neo who was helping Magnet sit up, "hadn't already given a reason for how he remembered Ace, then I at least wouldn't have had to ask him that question about the spoon." Neo chuckled a bit as he hoisted Zane up and supported his weight.

"Shall we get out of here?" he said. Bree nodded and helped Ace up, directing Tron over to help Magnet, and Neo took Morpheus on his other shoulder.

Steadying his burden, Tron staggered over to the chair in the middle of the room and helped Circuit up, though he managed to walk on his own better then the others. At the door, they all looked back at the bodies of Tick and Cyprus for just a moment, and then they walked out of the warehouse.

It was slow going back out onto the sidewalk, but they finally managed it. Once they were back out into the hot afternoon, which had begun to fade into the cool evening, Bree set Ace down on a nearby bench, ignoring the odd looks that passersby were giving the group. She reached down to her hip and took out a small black phone. She didn't know whether or not it would work, since the virus she had created to counter Smith's had never been tested until now. She dialed the necessary numbers on the phone and held it up to her ear. It rang a few times then…

"Operator," said Gaias voice hopefully.

"Everything is fine," Bree said, "Smith and the agents are gone. Set us up an exit and then call Link, I'm sure he's driven himself crazy trying to lift the cover-up program." Gaia gave her directions to the exit, sounding as though she were on the verge of tears of joy when Bree hung up on her. She picked Ace back up and nodded for the others to follow her.

They were an odd precession as they all walked down the sidewalk, Bree in the lead. She watched the streets signs as they passed and turned down another dark alley when she reached Vermont St. She looked left and right before staggering over to a door on the left. With an effort due to Ace's weight, she turned the doorknob and found herself in a deserted apartment kitchen. A phone sat ringing incessantly beside the toaster. Grunting, she dragged Ace over, pulling a chair with her and sat him down in it. Tron and Neo did the same with their baggage. The phone kept ringing.

"I guess I should go," Neo said. He turned to leave.

"Neo," Bree called after him. He stopped and turned to look at her. She didn't say anything else for a moment or two.

"Thank you," she told her softly. He smiled, nodded, and was out the door in a flash. With a deep breath, Bree picked up the phone.

"Time to go home."

Six years, eight months, eight weeks later, Bree stood on the loading platform of Bay Five, watching as Morpheus stepped out of a large ship, limping slightly, but he had a large smile on his face. He had been inspecting _The Neo_, now that the repairs had been finished after an accident it had a few months ago. In that time, Morpheus had been appointed to the Council, and Ace had been asked to fill his place, which meant Bree was finally the captain of the ship she loved.

"Its perfect," he told her happily, "Good as new." Bree smiled back at him and looked back to the ship, contemplating what to call it.

"It'll always be the same ship, no matter how much work is done on it," she said. Morpheus grinned and nodded his head.

"Well now there's just the matter of the crew. You who you can and can't have so don't try to pull anything." They both smiled at each other, and Bree chuckled a bit.

"Don't worry," she said to him, "I know who my crew is." Her smile broadened as she thought of the people she had already chosen.

"Too bad I'm now Command of Defense now, huh?" said a voice behind her.

Bree turned around to see Ace standing there, his hair longer now, but with the same blue eyes glinting in the light of the city. In his arms, he held a small boy with his parents' dark hair, but a pair of warm brown eyes that were unlike either of them. The child was squirming around in Ace's arms and with a smile Ace set him down.

"Mommy!" the boy cried and ran to Bree who held her arms wide open to catch him. She scooped him up and hugged him tightly to her body.

"Hey, sweetie," she said giving her son a kiss on his cheek, "You want to see mommy's new ship. I'm going to be the captain."

"Ooh!" he said and wiggled out of her grasp, running towards the ship. She made to go after him but Morpheus held up his hand.

"Allow me," he said, "You do enough babysitting for me, it's the least I can do." Bree smiled softly and nodded, watching Morpheus disappear back into the ship after her little boy. Ace came up behind her wrapping his arms around her neck.

"So who's going to be traveling on the big, fancy ship with you?" he asked her.

"Well," she said, reaching up a hand and playing with his hair while they both kept their eyes on the ship's entrance, "Since Niobe is taking over for Lock on the _Nostradamus_, Tron will be the pilot, Zane, Bolt, and Magnet are going to be a full-on mechanics team, Gaia is going to be our medic, and Link will serve as the operator." Ace laughed.

"And obviously Circuit will be your computer programmer, right?" he inquired playfully.

"Well," she said, turning her head at an angle so she could look at him, "Of course, that way I'll have everyone I love on the ship with me." She grinned playfully back as he looked mockingly hurt. Bree laughed openly, Ace, after a moment, joining in, and they kissed for a moment.

"Ewww!" shouted a small voice from the ship, "That's gross!" Bree and Ace broke away from each other and looked up to see their little son standing there with Morpheus. All three adults laughed, leaving the boy to look at them confused.

"All right," Bree said, "I think its time for lunch."

"Yay!" the boy exclaimed clapping his hands and jumping up and down. Bree smiled and held out her hand.

"Ok, say goodbye to Morpheus, Neo," she told him. Neo looked up at the tall, dark-skinned man.

"Bye," he said, and ran to his mother, wrapping his hand in hers. And together, Ace, Bree, and their son, Neo, walked their way back to their home.

Love is life. Life is love. Bree lived and breathed these words after the ordeal in the Matrix. She no longer worried about the machines betraying them again, nor did she go into the Matrix expecting to see Neo. She knew he would not show up again, but she also knew that he would always be there, and he would always be here, in the real world. Her son was Neo's namesake, but Bree felt he was much more. He would never be able to enter the Matrix, but he would become and important member of the city of Zion.


End file.
